More dog posts
For more dog posts, see my blog Humans For Dogs. Some of the more popular posts are:
If you were Teddy's friend, you knew it each and every day
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Frank's asked a couple of times when I'm going to write an "Ode to Teddy." I haven't been able to write it because I miss her so much. And I'm not sure I could do her justice. But if there's one thing about Teddy that should not be forgotten, it's her greetings. She said hello with her whole body. She barked at everybody that came to the door. But once she identified you as a friend - and that might happen when your car pulled up or it might happen once you stepped into the house - she would go into full greeting mode. She'd squeal with delight, spin in circles, dive between your legs, roll over onto her back and wiggle, and then jump up to give you kisses. It didn't matter whether you'd been gone for five minutes or five months - you got the same elaborate greeting. If we happened to be waiting for someone somewhere, she would watch for them. (She knew most of our friends by name and I could tell her they were coming.) When she spotted them, she'd immediately start a high pitch squeal/whine and start crouching down on her front legs and spinning. If I let her off leash, she'd beeline to our friends in an all out sprint, miss them by an inch, turn around and do the Teddy greet - see above. One of my friends nicknamed her Twirly Girl and I thought that name was particularly accurate. If you were Teddy's friend, you knew it each and every day. Friends of Teddy, feel free to describe it in your own words! |
Do you think marathon runners are crazy?
I always thought people that ran marathons were crazy but it turns out that humans are built to run long distances - that's how we used to hunt. Humans hot, sweaty, natural-born runners explains how our ability to run long distances gave us a competitive advantage. We can run longer (although slower) than all other animals. One of things that allows us to run long distances is the fact that we can sweat. We can lose the excess heat while we are running - all other animals have to stop and pant to cool down.
So I guess I should stop thinking all those marathon runners are crazy - sorry Dana and Dad!
By the way, the article said the other two animals that are distance runners are dogs and horses. So see, I really wasn't torturing Teddy all those years! (I knew I wasn't but I had friends who thought otherwise. She loved our daily runs although I'm sure she would have preferred walking. More time to smell the roses - or to roll in stinky things.)
Photo by Hugo*.
Would you rather be dead?
My vet says my dog would rather be dead. Actually, he didn't say it like that and he's a great guy but he does really think I should euthenize her. I don't agree. As of yesterday she was still walking around, following us everywhere, tail wagging. Not her usual self, but she still wanted to be a part of things. Today I'm not so sure. She slept most of the day and she had to be coaxed out to the car to see the vet. But he assures me she's not in pain, she's just extremely uncomfortable. So how do you decide whether she's so uncomfortable that she'd rather be dead? Personally, I think she'd rather be alive. Am I making the right decision? Nobody can know.
As for what's going on - Teddy was diagnosed with kidney failure last September. The vet gave her two months to two years to live and it looks like it's going to be within the next week. She's down to 35 pounds - from 75 pounds a year ago and she hasn't eaten anything for the past week. I'm going to miss her!
Cute dog stories and pictures
If you haven't seen it yet, I'd like to show you Humans For Dogs, a blog about everything humans need to understand dogs. I've included a lot of cute pictures that people have shared on Flickr!
Photo by Altweibersommer.
Dogs are Good for Babies' Health
Infants Wheeze Less in Homes with Multiple Dogs. If that's true, then Caleb is set. He's got two big furry companions who shed everywhere and follow us around everywhere - including the middle of the night feeding.
Diphragmatic Hernia
Chase buddy, our dog, needs all your good wishes. He's just been diagnosed with a Diaphragmatic Hernia. There are two types of diaphragmatic hernias, one you are born with and one that is caused by some type of trauma. In either case, it means there's a hole in your diaphragm and your intestines come up into your chest interfering with your lungs and heart. (It can happen to people as well as dogs.)
Symptoms we noticed were that Chase would not move, not lie down and not eat. He would sit rigidly for hours with a very curved back and he drank a little bit of water. He also lost 12 pounds (20% of his body weight) in four days! He still wanted to cuddle but he wouldn't come to you. He threw up all day on the 3rd day.
We have no idea what happened to Chase. We know it happened sometime Saturday while we were camping. The vet and the internet say a diaphragmatic hernia is usually caused by a car, a blow to the stomach or a fall out the window. As far as we know none of these happened but he was tied up at our campground during the day without us. (He was tied to a post in our campground while we were on the boat.)
He's going in for surgery right now and we should if he's going to be ok in about 24 hours.
[3:24pm] Followup: The vet said the trauma could have happened a long time ago. Since Chase routinely jumps the fence, I'm guessing it happened on one of those excursions.
Seperation anxiety in dogs
Ever wonder why your dog destroys the house while you are gone? Bonnie Beaver says in this article, CNN.com - U.S. is a nation of 360 million -- pets - Mar 13, 2006:
Dogs, if we look at the wolf model, would normally spend 20 hours a day with members of their pack. Now we are their pack, and we leave for 10, 12 hours a day and now the dog is alone. And we wonder why they get destructive and develop separation anxiety.
We leave our two dogs home together and one of them still has problems, a major case of separation anxiety. We have to leave Chase in the bedroom (where he spends the day sleeping on the bed) or he'll urinate and defecate in every room in the house. I don't think Chase is being malicious - I think he's just that stressed out. One theory that Julie Yamane gave me is that there's too much space and not enough rules about what to do when you are home alone. Since Chase is never more than two feet away from me when I'm home, I can believe that having the whole house to himself might be a bit scary. Julie recommended enclosing him in the bedroom when we leave him in the house and it's worked great for avoiding his seperation anxiety. And great for saving our carpets!
Do you buy your dog Christmas presents?
Are you looking to get your dog or your friend's dog a Christmas present? If you are buying a present for another person's dog, especially someone who just got a dog, there's a lot of things that person might need for their dog, like:
Personally, I think the best presents for dogs are:
- food, like treats
or compressed raw hide chews
- toys, like squeaky toys
Our dogs love all of those. Remember, dogs love all food
Do you miss your dog?
Would you take a pay cut to be able to bring your dog to work? Would you work longer hours? Bringing pooch to work | News.blog | CNET News.com.
I'd certainly like to bring my dog(s) to work, but I really wonder about all the people/dog and dog/dog interactions that would happen. If you've ever stepped into a doggie daycare place, you know it can get kind of wild with dogs running around and barking at each other. If you have a bunch of dogs at work, do you have to hire a doggie nanny?
Dogs Can Smell Cancer
Dogs can smell cancer. These researchers have trained dogs to sit when they smell lung cancer and they got it right 99% of the time. This is not new news. I wonder why it hasn't been applied more globaly? Is it a shortage of cancer researchers who also know how to train dogs?
Dogs Excel on Smell Test to Find Cancer - New York Times.
For more dog posts see my blog Humans for Dogs.
Canine Testicle Implants
If you are having a hard time convincing your partner to neuter the puppy because he won't develop any testicles, let him know that you can now purchase Neuticles, silicone implants, i.e. prosthetic testicles for neutered dogs. CNN.com - Pooch Neuticles top Ig Nobels - Oct 6, 2005.
Other popular dog posts:
Why does my dog lean?
Judging from the general lack of information on the web and the large variation of answers that I did find, I think we don't yet know enough about dog behavior. From what I found, I concluded that our chocolate lab is looking for attention when he leans on you. (The other option was aggression and I'm not buying that as a cause for leaning for our 75 pound lap dog!) From Dominance aggression in dogs: Part 1.
Owners need to distinguish these behaviors from mere pushiness or attention-seeking. For example, if a dog is leaning against its owner just to get attention, the owner can physically move the dog without its becoming aggressive. Unlike most dominantly aggressive dogs, dogs that lean on a person for attention do not stiffen, open their eyes, and move with the person so they are again touching or pressing.
Think Like a Dog
If you want to figure out why your dog is misbehaving, you need to think like a dog, not a human. This article does a great job of showing how we misinterpret why dogs misbehave. One of our dogs has diarrhea in every room of the house if we leave him at home alone. I decided it couldn't be because he was mad at us because it didn't seem to be something he could control. Besides, if we leave him in the bedroom, he doesn't have a problem. Our vet confirmed that he's nervous. The house is too much freedom; the bedroom feels safe.
How much do dogs sleep?
My dogs sleep a lot. A really lot. So I decided to see if I could find the real answer to "how much do dogs sleep?" According to Sleep and Dreams in Dogs and Cats:
Under controlled laboratory conditions both cats and dogs sleep about 13 hours per day but they wake up more frequently than people do.
According to Planet Dog:
• Adult dogs spend approximately half their life sleeping, typically 12 hours a day.
• Some breeds need more sleep than others – as much as 18 hours per day! (typically larger breeds).
I think mine sleep more than average - closer to the 18 hour limit. They sleep 8 hours a night with us. They sleep while we read or watch TV in the evening. And they sleep all day if we leave them inside. I'd bet they are only awake 4-5 hours a day during a normal day.
How much do your dogs sleep? For other dog related posts see my blog Humans for Dogs.
Photo by mikecpeck.
Dog Beats Most in Swim From Alcatraz - Yahoo! News
A golden retriever swam the 1.2 miles from Alcatraz to San Francisco this year. Dog Beats Most in Swim From Alcatraz - Yahoo! News.
Emergency Vet Clinic Again! Wasps and Dogs
Last night on our way out the door to dinner, our 5 year old picked up one of the patio chairs and said "Look at me! I'm strong!" Then he dropped it and a flood of wasps swarmed up from the underside. We got him away safely and went to dinner thinking we'd take care of the nest after dark when the wasps were sleeping.
Well, Teddy, my 75 pound dog, decided to investigate. Whether it was to greet them or eat them, I don't know. I am sure she tried to lick them, because her face was all swollen! She could barely open one of her eyes. So I called the emergency vet clinic for the third time this month and they told me 1 mg of benadryl per pound of dog and to watch to make sure that her airway didn't swell up. So I gave her three little pink pills and lots of hugs.
Today she's fine. I'm glad she recovers so quickly!
No Drinks for Dogs!
Alcohol is toxic for dogs. Your vet might not ask how many drinks a week your dog has, but maybe that's because they know if they are having any, they wouldn't be there.
I couldn't find anything on the web about alcohol and dogs so I am posting my experience so others can learn from it. Note that I used to have a friend that fed his dog beer and the dog didn't have any noticeable side effects. But one drop of gin was way too much gin for my dog. Here it is ...
We were having a drink on the porch with friends and my boyfriend finished his gin and tonic and put the glass on the floor. One of the dogs knocked it over and both dogs ate the ice cubes. We didn't think anything of it since the drink was empty. An hour later my dog Teddy couldn't walk straight, a half hour after that her legs wouldn't support her at all, she was having trouble breathing and she started vomiting all over the floor and herself. (And made no move to clean herself up or move out of it.) She was also terrified and just wanted to lie as close to me as possible. Wait till you watch your dog try to flop across the floor to get next to you - it's terrifying. Two hours after the gin flavored ice cube she was fine. (I then felt like I might need a gin and tonic myself!) Before we remembered the glass and the ice cubes, the emergency clinic vets were thinking back problems and neurological disorders. When we finally remembered the knocked over glass, they immediately said that was it. So, NO ALCOHOL FOR DOGS. Not even a drop!
Stray Dog in Kenya Saves Abandoned Baby - Yahoo! News
This dog tried to adopt a baby. The dog brough the baby back to its litter of puppies probably saving its life! Stray Dog in Kenya Saves Abandoned Baby - Yahoo! News.
Chiropractic Care for Dogs Update
As many of you probably read, my dog Teddy has a slipped disk and I took her to a chiropractor who works on dogs. It's time for an update. I took Teddy to the chiropracter three times, and I did not treat her back or her pain in any other way. She no longer yelps in pain! I haven't heard a yelp in over a month! To be conclusive that it worked, I think I would need to get another xray in a few months but if she's happy and not hurting, I'm happy!
Other popular dog posts:
Get email when your dog leaves the yard
Attach the collar to your dog. Define the area you think your dog should stay in (i.e., the backyard, Chase!) When your dog leaves that area, you'll get an email that says he's left AND the location where your dog is at the moment. If this is going to work for Chase, it better send an update every thirty seconds.
The device is supposed to be out by the end of the year and will cost $300 plus a $13 monthly fee. As to what this means if applied to children is a topic I will leave for another time.
What would you pay to find out how much pain your pet was in?
Having personally spent a good deal of time worrying about my dog and wondering what yelps of pain really mean - is she in pain all the time? just when she yelps? how much pain? does it just startle her or is is excruciating? - I know I would pay a significant amount of money to answer the question "how much pain is my dog in?" Well, now, thanks to an Ohio nurse, I can find out. She's developed a $600, palm sized device that measures stress, a good indicator of pain level. She's selling them to vets, but I bet wealthy individuals would be willing to buy them, and I bet a whole bunch of us would be willing to rent them when trying to diagnose chronic health problems in our pets.
Ohio researcher designs, builds device to measure pets' pain
Creative Dog Tricks: Dog Goes to Post Office To Get Mail
This dog picks up the mail every morning and races home with it. What cool things have you trained your dog to do?
Dog Goes to Post Office to Get Mail
See more dog posts on my Humans for Dogs blog.
Chiropractic Care for Dogs
As I posted a while back, my dog Teddy has a slipped disk. I was told by the vet that it is a permanent condition and the best we could do was to give her pain medication. In addition, I should not take her running and I should go easy on all activities like long walks and backpacking.
It's been tough and I can definitely tell she's worse after a long walk, so when I heard about a chiropractor who routinely treats horses and dogs, I decided to give it a try. I have to admit that I've always been a little bit skeptical about chiropractors in general, but after seeing how it was done, I decided it probably wouldn't hurt Teddy. So we went yesterday.
I can't say Teddy enjoyed the treatment, but the minute it was done she was jumping around and twirling in circles. (And before you say, that's because it was done, I can tell you when the vet is done with anything she runs to the door or hides under my chair. She most definitely does not even wag her tail.) She also jumped on the bed last night without any coaxing! So, it's too soon to tell for sure, but it definitely looks like it might help!
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September 23, 2004 Update. I took Teddy to the chiropracter three times. I did not treat her back or her pain in any other way. She is no longer yelps with pain! I haven't heard a yelp in over a month! To be conclusive that it worked, I think I would need to get another xray in a few months but if she's happy and not hurting, I'm happy! See other blog posts at my dog blog, Humans for dogs. |
And you thought your dog was spoiled!
One of these dogs, featured in a New York Times article, actually got his own apartment in NYC!
The New York Times > New York Region > Rooming With the Big Dogs
How much would you spend on your pet's health?
I just read this blog entry, collision detection: Fixing Nemo, on Clive Thompson's blog yesterday about how much would you be willing to spend to save your pet's life. Clive says he'd pay $1000. I say it would depend on the expected outcome. I'd pay a lot more if I was guaranteed a 100% recovery. But if you said I was only prolonging life by a month or two or my dog would be in severe pain forever, I probably wouldn't pay anything. For problems in between, it's a hard decision, as I was reminded this morning.
How much you'd pay for a pet's health is a debate that I've had with many of my friends. I've also seen couples get into very heated arguments over how much was appropriate to spend on their dog's hip surgery or their ferret's cancer. It hit home this morning when I took my dog Teddy to the vet. When I watched them writing "acting funny" as the reason for the visit, I felt kind of stupid. It took a force of will to stay - to remind myself that I really did think there was a problem and what I had described was more than "acting funny" in my opinion. I felt stupid because I was about to pay $38 to find out if why my dog was "acting funny". That would pay for a very nice dinner tonight.
As it turns out, Teddy is in pain, so I was correct in thinking that "acting funny" might be serious. However, I spent $150 to find out that she has a disk protrusion, i.e. a slipped disk, so while I was right, something was wrong, I spent $150 to learn that Teddy should take it easy for a while (no running!) and take doggie aspirin. Was it money well spent?
See more dog posts at my Humans for Dogs blog.
Germans unleash electronic guide dog | The Register
Germans unleash electronic guide dog | The Register
This is a voice enabled GPS that helps blind people figure out where they are. It obviously cannot help them avoid obstacles like cars like a guide dog can. Together with a guide dog it might be really powerful.
Dogs can too understand people
Anyone who has ever had a dog knows that they can understand you. An article in last week's Economist, 2/21/04 "Sensitive souls", describes an experiment that proves it. Brian Hare from Harvard University did an experiment where he put food under one of two inverted cups. A human then sat behind the cups and indicated the cup with the food, either by pointing, looking, or tapping. Dogs always got the food. Chimpanzees and wolves didn't do any better than chance. He even tried it with dogs with little human contact. Dogs could read the human experimenter's facial expression and figure out which cup the food was under.
So dogs can read your facial expression, and within reason, figure out what you're trying to tell them. But then anybody with a dog knew that.
Although my experience has been that they can understand lots of words. They just get left behind in the grammar arena. Telling a dog that someone is not coming after you've told them they are coming, is impossible.
Other popular dog posts:
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