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Food Allergies, Part II: Identifying the Culprit

When you have done the initial preparations and are ready with your logbook, it is time to proceed with the research project.

(If you missed the first part of this article, you can get it here.)

Before you proceed any further, you must make sure that the dog is off all medication. You cannot test allergy responses if you have the dog on any kind of medication that will obscure your observations by slurring the symptoms.

Your goal is to identify the food source that causes your dog's allergy problem. You do that through a systematic trial-and-error procedure, by changing the input and observing the output. The input is the diet you feed. The output is the allergy reactions you observe.

Food Allergies, Part 1: Preparing the Investigation

Food allergies are unfortunately quite common for dogs. Few dog owners are aware, though, that a lot of those allergies are caused by vaccination and kibble feeding!

Allergies are really an over-reaction from the immune system's side. The immune system goes into alert upon a very tiny exposure to a certain protein in the food, as if it were a poisonous discharge from a pathogen. Both vaccines and kibble contain numerous dangerous substances, vaccines far more so than the preserved food, but a constant exposure day in and day out can often break down an otherwise healthy immune system also. The exact mechanisms behind this are not fully understood, and the treatment suggested by many vets often include use of anti-histamine products which really do nothing by obscure the symptoms without doing anything to deal with the reason - which is a "hysterical" reaction from the immune system's side. These kinds of medication do give the dog some relief, though - which can be important if there are severe secondary damages, such as broken and infected skin.

First step - simplifying the problem...

Feeding Frequency for Dogs: What any Pack-Hunting Carnivore is Dying for...

Most people feed their dogs from a perspective of what is good for a human.

Unfortunately, the dog's digestive system is very different from that of a monkey, so such an approach causes a lot of conflict and undesired results.

Some unpleasant facts

It is known from general research that dogs, in average, need to eat an amount of raw food that is about 2% of their adult body weight in order to sustain good health and a "normal" activity level under circumstances that are not overly stressful.

The problem is that dogs are genetically programmed (and fully capable of) eating meals that are 6-8% of their body weight - after some starvation, even more...

Following a human standard for at least 2 daily meals would then mean that the dog would gain weight at a completely unreasonable rate, unless the owner keeps it constantly hungry, "forever starving" (the dog's interpretation)....

Do You Dare to Feed a Raw Diet to Your Dog? Or Do You really Dare NOT to?

It is amazing how people can argue about whether or not to feed their dogs a raw diet instead of commercially available kibble products. Here are some facts that should be considered before you attempt to participate in that discussion:

Biology and physiology

Dogs are carnivores - actually domesticated wolves. The genetic difference between dogs and wolves is no bigger than the genetic difference between black and white people...

Dogs' gastrointestinal system cannot be told apart from that of a wolf. Wolves live and thrive on killing large prey animals, which they completely consume - hide, organs, meat, and bones all included. But wolves do not eat a lot of vegetable matter if they have any choices - and they certainly do not consume any grain products, not even from the stomachs of their prey. The fact that domestic dogs can survive on a diet that is primarily based on grain products does not in any way mean that they reach optimum health on such food. (Heavy smokers may also survive, despite their smoking, for many years. But that does not make smoking healthy...)

Dogs' gastrointestinal system is mechanically, physiologically, and chemically constructed completely different from the human system. Here is a short overview of some of the most important features:

Breeding Dogs Without Bite Inhibitors?

There are many misperceptions about dog fights. In addition to plain ignorance, a main reason is that there are many different types of fighting behavior embedded in the genes that control the instinct behaviors of Canis Lupus, and hence of our dogs. These behaviors are very carefully balanced with each other, so that they together support the survival of the species.

The problem is that when some of those instincts are no longer there, the balance of that puzzle becomes a very dangerous cocktail...

The elements of a fight

Fighting has many species-preserving purposes. For a carnivore, like the wolf, it is obvious that fighting with prey animals is a prerequisite for getting food, as no targeted prey animals are likely to allow themselves to be peacefully "converted to lunch". This fighting with prey animals that typically are much bigger than the wolf itself naturally calls for some serious strength, determination, and sound judgment on the wolf's part. Wolves that don't meet the mark here are quickly killed, and their genes not distributed very far. Aside from humans, injuries from fighting prey animals represent the main death reason for wolves in the wild.

Being Your Dogs Leader Is The Key To Training

Dogs, in their natural state, are pack animals. We tend to think of them simply as autonomous pups and don't often consider their immutable core nature as pack animals, however. This failure to take into account the true nature of dogs can make training more difficult. Likewise, understanding what it means to be a pack animal can unlock one of training's greatest secrets.

Dogs, in packs, have leaders. The leadership role in dog packs is one of great influence. Other dogs in the pack naturally subordinate themselves to leadership and will look to their leader for guidance and instruction.

Of course, domesticated dogs don't travel in packs. Instead, they build a pack based on those with whom they regularly interact. In essence, the owner and the owner's family members or close friends become the dog's pack.

This creates a wonderful opportunity for dog trainers. By casting yourself as the leader of your dog's pack, the dog will naturally tend to follow your lead, will naturally feel inclined to respect you and will demonstrate an instinctive need to learn from you. Since a dog's real social structure will always be seen through the innate canine perspective of packs and leaders, it only makes sense for trainers to take advantage of this by assigning roles for both pet and master that will make dog training especially effective.

Balancing the Calcium/Phosphorous Ratio in a Raw Diet for Dogs

First published: October 21, 2006 (update of a previous article from 2003)

Most dog owners that feed their dogs a raw, natural diet will know about the Calcium/Phosphorous balance, which is vital for the dog's health. Many dog owners even resort to supplementation of particularly Calcium, "just to be sure".

Unfortunately for the uneducated, the assumption "when something is good, then more of it must be better" is absolutely not true when applied to chemistry in a live body.....

The problem with chemical analyses...

The "nutritional requirements" you can get from official tables, and the values that are published for "the optimal balance" of Calcium and Phosphorous are dangerous guidelines for feeding...

The reason is that a chemical analysis of the Calcium contents and the Phosphorous contents of the food will not tell you the entire truth about the balance between those two "nutrients". What you can measure with standard chemical analysis and what truly matters for the body's metabolism are not the same... What is analyzed chemically is the total concentration of the chemical elements, regardless what kind of compounds they occur in. What matters for the body is the occurrence of all the various chemical compounds that contain the element in question, in the right balance, and in the right chemical environment. Certainly not the same as the total concentration!

Avoiding Health Risks - or Living With Them?  

It is natural to want to avoid risk, especially when it comes to health. However, few people realize that for every one risk you avoid, you incur another one. You cannot eliminate risk. All you can do is trade one risk for another. By doing this wisely, however, you can dramatically reduce the overall risk of health problems - and increase the chances of a good life in great health!

What is "risk"?

Risk is always a combination of two factors:

1.

An unfortunate and possible consequence of an action or omission.

2.

The likelihood of the unfortunate event happening.

The first factor is "the price we might have to pay", and we can often express it in financial terms, but when we talk about health, the price is most often some kind of suffering - or death.

The second factor is also a prediction - and it should be based on statistics. Likelihood is always a number between 0 and 1. "Zero" means that the event will never take place. "One" means that it will take place with complete certainty.

Are Electrical Collars Effective In Dog Training?

Is the use of an electrical collar really an effective training aid? The short answer to this question is yes. Without a doubt, these tools are effective as training aids. They provide a quick attention getter for the animal being trained and they most assuredly provide a negative reinforcement that can teach the animal what behaviors are unwanted. However, like all things, there is much more to consider than just the initial, obvious benefits. In this article, we will discuss the various benefits and problems encountered by using this device.

Let's first discuss, for a moment, how these devices work. The electrical, or shock collar, as they are commonly referred to, is basically a receiver that, when triggered, delivers an electrical stimulation to the neck area of a dog via two probes that are in contact with the skin. The receiver is controlled by way of a remote transmitter that has an effective range of up to one mile for some models. In early training, the charge is fairly low but consistent until the animal learns that exhibiting correct behaviors can turn off the stimulation.

5 Things To Avoid During Dog Training

In training your dog there are a few major downfalls that you are sure to encounter. Knowing them before you reach this point is very helpful to avoiding stressful situations later. The biggest mistake most people make is also the easiest for new trainers to fall victim to. This is the danger of expecting too much.

Dogs are very intelligent creatures and, by and large, very trainable. Thus when you visit the park with your untrained dog and the person next to you is playing Frisbee with their German Shepherd and the Poodle down the way is sitting patiently rather than attacking picnic goers, it is easy to think your dog should know these behaviors from birth. We often times forget the many hours of training that have been put into these wonderful dogs. Your dog can learn these very same antics but it will take time for these lessons to be instilled. Do not expect your dog to learn all of these routines over night. This would merely set you up for downfall number two.

5 Easy Steps To Stop Your Puppy From Chewing

You got your new pet almost a week ago. In that time, the little beast has eaten three pairs of shoes, four of your favorite Stephen King novels ( He left Cujo alone... Maybe he is a fan too? ), gnawed the trim around the bathroom doorway, chewed thru the power cord of your laptop and, just this morning, you found him gleefully chewing up your wallet with a side order of your credit cards. This is getting expensive really fast and starting to get dangerous for the pup also. Maybe it's time we intervened?

So how do we handle this situation? Once again, we want to be sure our young charge is healthy to begin, so off to the vets office if you haven't been recently. There is a medical condition that can cause chewing in pups aside from the normal tendencies they have of chewing to explore their world. This illness is called Pica and causes your pet to eat non-food items in an attempt to deal with nausea. So please visit your veterinarian and make sure your animal has a clean bill of health.

3 Secrets To Better Dog Training

There are virtually as many approaches to training a dog as there are dogs to train! It seems as if every day new systems and techniques are announced or older methods are resurrected. Check a bookstore shelf or do a quick internet search and you will be overwhelmed with the number of ways people may advocate training a dog.

Despite the tremendous diversity of methods, almost every successful dog training system is premised on positive reinforcement techniques. The once frequent techniques involving intimidation, humiliation and punishment have long been abandoned in the face of growing proof of their relative ineffectiveness. All of the new, more effective, recommended means of dog training share something else in common: their effectiveness can be enhanced significantly by remembering three simple secrets.

Start Young

We've all been told a thousand times "you can't teach an old dog new tricks." That popular old saying, of course, is not entirely true. Any dog, regardless of age, can learn new things. However, like most old adages, it has been remembered because it contains a kernel of truth. Dogs, like humans, are much more receptive to learning new behaviors when young. The earlier you are able to start training your dog, the more effective the training will be.

3 Common Dog Training Mistakes

There are many different approaches to dog training and many different ways of implementing each of those approaches. Most techniques utilized today however, are premised upon the idea that positive reinforcement is likely to create the best results. Virtually every truly functional dog training system is outgrowth of positive reinforcement thinking.

Regardless of which specific program a dog owner may choose to adopt, there are common pitfalls that can be avoided. Dog owners are particularly susceptible to making three critical errors, which if avoided will make the training process far more enjoyable and effective. Three of the most common mistakes are inconsistency, impatience and treating the dog as a subject instead of a training partner.

Why Your Veterinarian Cannot Afford to Always Tell You the Truth...

Most dog owners look to their veterinarian for advice in regards to their dog's health. They believe that their vet, naturally, is there to help them keep their dog healthy. Only few are aware that they might have greater chances of getting honest answers if asking a car dealer about the qualities of his competitors' cars...;.

Veterinarians need to make a living, and they are very tightly controlled by their trade unions, the Veterinary Associations. And they have no mandate whatsoever to look after the public interest, much less your dog's health.

How veterinarians become owners of animal hospitals

In order to run an animal hospital or clinic for treatment of sick pets, you need a license to practice veterinarian medicine. Licenses like those are generally issued by a politically controlled/elected government. In most European countries, this is also the case for veterinarians. In North America, however, it isn't. Both Canada and the USA have delegated the authority to determine whether or not a specific veterinarian should be allowed to practice. And they delegated that authority to the trade union for that profession - the Veterinary Associations!