Newsletter - December 2007

One of our next door neighbors has moved. He has a dog that can only be described as temperamental at best. Actually, if I wasn’t such a dog fanatic, I might go so far as to say that the dog is nasty. He has a history of biting children and dogs, so it’s not surprising that other neighbors aren’t upset to have him living elsewhere.

There’s something sad about an angry dog. I can’t help wondering what made him that way. It may be his ‘wiring’ but this is the same dog that would lower his head and wait for me to give him a neck rub; the same dog that came to me when I called him after he’d broken free of his tether one day; the same dog that would lick my hand and lie down quietly when I asked him to. If it sounds like I miss this guy, it’s because I do. Despite that I lost many nights of sleep due to his barking, the place seems too quiet now. Even Tori, who was never sure where she stood with this dog, is looking for him. Funny how on one hand there’s some relief in not having a ‘wired’ dog next door, and on the other, our family seems to miss him anyway. Maybe other dog lovers understand.

What’s New at monicasegal.com New Booklet: Baked Treat Recipes

Finding healthy treats can be a challenge, and becomes even more so when you have a dog with health issues. In this booklet, we offer recipes that are suitable for healthy dogs as well as those that have heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, different types of bladder stones, cancer (one recipe is a frozen treat) or pancreatitis. Choose from four different recipes per condition, and you have both variety and a balanced ratio of calcium to phosphorus.

Some recipes use whole wheat flour, some use rice or specialty flours, while others use none. Best of all, these are quick to make and we have included tips to make it even easier for you. We fed every treat to many four legged tasters before sharing these recipes, and each has received tail wagging approval. Here’s to a Holiday season that includes fresh yummies for your dogs. Cheers!

Certain Oils Help Atopic Dermatitis

It is common knowledge that essential fatty acids benefit the skin, but did you know that they have a dramatic therapeutic effect as well? This is an important consideration for dog owners who watch their dogs’ skin become drier and drier over the winter months. Commonly, these dogs start to scratch, and as the scratching intensifies, the skin inflames. It can become bad enough that skin infections result. That’s just one case scenario. The other is atopic dermatitis – a fancy way of saying that the dog has an allergic skin reaction. It can flare up in the winter because the dog is indoors more often, thus there is more frequent exposure to dust mites et al.

The results of a double blind placebo controlled clinical trial at the Department of Small Animal Clinical Studies, The Norwegian School of Veterinary Science brings us interesting, and applicable information. The study duration was 12 weeks and included 60 dogs with atopic dermatitis. The dogs were randomly selected to receive borage and fish oils or a placebo along with prednisolone. Findings indicate a steroid sparing effect of essential fatty acid supplementation in canine atopic dermatitis. There is a time lag before the effect is attained. Results became more and more dramatic as the study grew closer to day 84. Based on the information above, and the fact that I work with some dogs that have allergies of all sorts, I have used primrose oil in lieu of borage oil when the latter was not tolerated. Further, I have found that some dogs, although reactive to one particular oil if it is fed daily, do not react if these oils are rotated. I have seen extremely positive results when adding oils in this rotation: Day 1: Primrose oil Day 2: Wild Salmon oil Day 3: Borage oil Day 4: Flaxseed oil Don’t forget to include vitamin E when you add fat to your dog’s diet.

Happy Holidays from our family to yours. Stay safe, stay warm, and give your dogs an extra belly-rub from us.

Monica

“If a dog will not come to you after having looked you in the face, you should go home and examine your conscience.’ -- Woodrow Wilson, US President