Canine Cognitive Dysfunction

We’ve come such a long way in caring for pets from the days when I was a child. Our family dogs were not neutered and usually ran loose through the neighborhood wreaking all sorts of havoc. The worst part was that both of my beloved dogs met violent ends -- both hit by cars. Sadly, neither one lived past the age of five.


Thankfully, most of us take much better care of our companion animals today. I have two dogs that live in the house, are neutered, never run loose, and enjoy daily walks on leashes. They have reached the ages of 11 and 13 with no serious health problems or accidents.


But with the blessing of long lives come problems that never occurred with those dogs of the past, who left us still in the prime of their lives. I have realized this in the past six weeks with my 13-year-old dog. He is still able to run up stairs and enjoys going for walks, but he is definitely less energetic than he used to be. He has always slept on his dog bed in our bedroom and rarely, if ever, disturbed our sleep. But lately that has changed. Each night he wakes up around 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. and paces the bedroom, whining. We tried letting him outside for a potty break and/or giving him food, but neither ended the agitated pacing. After several weeks of this, we decided to let him sleep in our downstairs den, instead. Although he didn’t bark, we found his dog bed tossed around, toilet paper shredded, and various other signs of a less than restful night.


I started looking on the internet and immediately found references to canine cognitive dysfunction. It seems to be a fairly common problem among aging dogs. Signs are loss of housetraining (we’ve also noticed some very uncharacteristic accidents around the house); wandering aimlessly, agitation, and staring into space. Our vet agreed with our assessment and recommended Clomicalm, which is often used to treat separation anxiety in dogs. We have tried it for the past four nights, and already see a difference. He's now back in our bedroom and although he still gets up and paces, we have been able to reassure him with soothing words and he lies down and goes back to sleep. We don't know what the future will bring, but for now we're all feeling better.


While many pets now live long, comfortable lives, they face the inevitable decline of mind and body experienced by our aging human population. As responsible pet guardians we must find comfort in the fact that our animal companions will live the best lives that we can offer them and will continue to show their love and appreciation as long as they are able.

Local Animal Laws Online

Have you ever tried to find out if dog poop must be cleaned up or cats must be kept on their own property or on a leash in your town? Some cities and towns are very good about having all laws available and searchable online while others, not so much.

I think back some ten years ago when a roommate of mine allowed his cat to wonder about outside, until one day the cat was picked up by animal control and the owner fined for noncompliance of the city's leash law. Yes, this particlar city did, in fact, have a leash law for both dogs AND cats. When I started thinking about how accessible local laws are or are not, I decided to call this city's animal control office to inquire about the law. My question was simple, "Does your city have a leash law for cats?" The first answer I received was, "No." Having some experience with that law in that city I pressed for more information. After a few minutes on hold, the person came back on and had found, herself, that the leash law did, in fact, cover cats.

I am not trying to put any locale on trial. I only use this as an example of how difficult it can be to stay informed of local laws, particularly those pertaining to animals. If we want people to be responsible pet owners shouldn't we, at the very least, make sure they are aware of the laws they must follow?

In an effort to educate the public, the Animal Welfare League of Arlington has put all Arlington County companion animal and wildlife laws, in layman's terms, online. We hope that Arlington residents find it helpful and it makes it a little easier for our citizens to be responsible, law-abiding pet owners.

Dangerous Detergent

Recently at the Arlington animal shelter we received a note from a concerned, distraught citizen who lost her cat to a terrible household disaster. According to the note, her beloved feline accidentally ingested Tide laundry detergent. While the caution on the bottle and, upon inquiry, the caution that we received from Tide was to simply ensure that the cat had plenty of water to drink, the events that occurred suggest that the true effect of laundry detergent on a pet are much worse than understood.

Here is an excerpt from her note that describes what her poor cat endured:

Poison Control told us my cat would probably have an upset stomach; the vets went ahead and treated her on that basis, thinking she'd get well. Instead, the esophageal burns kept her from eating; the feeding tube in her nose fed her, but internal burns stopped her from eliminating waste. Her condition improved at first (in terms of blood work) but, in the end, unable to eliminate waste, her breathing became labored and red blood count values started a downward slide and the only kind thing was to let her go. Had Poison Control had a more accurate picture of what she would suffer, I'd have let go before, not wanting her to suffer, as she was a huge part of our family and we loved her dearly.

I cannot imagine the pain the cat endured and the sadness that this loving cat owner must have felt to see her cat go through such a disaster. Being an animal lover, myself, and a new mother or a little baby, I find myself terribly concerned that such a simple household accident could have such a tremendous effect and that poison control did not seem to be of much help under these circumstances.

While I, personally, will be even more cautious about all household cleaners and other dangers, it makes me wonder what other unknown dangers might be lurking around my home.

Pets in Nursing Homes

There seems to be so much positive information available about the comfort and companionship that pets may have to the elderly, particularly those in nursing homes; and when it comes to pet therapy programs that allow guardians to bring well-behaved pets to visit nursing homes on a regular basis, seems to be a perfectly positive experience for all involved. Pets need people and patients in nursing homes enjoy being needed.

The question isn't whether pets are good for nursing home patients, the real question here is whether a nursing home is the appropriate place for pets to reside. Remember the story of Oscar the cat who allegedly predicted whether a patient was going to pass away? Despite first impressions, the story had a very positive tone. What the story did not explain was whether Oscar received the proper care and attention he needed and deserved, living in the home.

Pets need constant care and supervision that some nursing homes often cannot provide. There may be one resident or staff member who takes responsibility for the pets but is that person able to take that responsibility for the life of the pet? Who will make sure that the pet does not run out through constantly opening doors? Who will take the pet to the vet for regular check ups and vaccinations and pay the vet expenses if a pet becomes ill? What if a pet eats the wrong food or other substance dropped on the floor? And, in the case of a dog who needs a master, who will provide the leadership and companionship that dogs crave? What if more residents decide that they do not want the pet in the home anymore?

These are the questions that a nursing home must answer before determining whether a resident pet is the best idea. Whether or not the pet is good for the people is easy, whether or not the environment is good for the pet is the tough question. When considering the options, the more viable and beneficial option to all involved may be a pet therapy program that allows pets to visit on a regular basis. There are various animal shelters and groups that offer such programs and, chances are good, there is a pet therapy group just around the corner.

Of course, that said, maybe the best option is for residents to have the opportunity to keep their own pets when entering an assisted living community or nursing home. If a resident is well and able enough to care for his or her own pet, why not allow it? I'm sure it is difficult enough for any person who has cared for himself and lived, unassisted, in his own home for many years to leave his home behind, without having to give up a beloved pet. And it would certainly take a small bite out of the number of homeless animals that fill our shelters and rescues.

Microchip Saves Rocco

Think you dog doesn't need a microchip? Think it's a waste of time and money? You'll think again after this heart-warming, incredible story of a beagle reunited with it's loving owner!

Thunderphobia

Pet owners know that thunderstorms can be quite traumatic for pets. Some pets get a little nervous while other completely freak out. I remember a time when I was sitting for an adorable golden-chow mix named Bear, when a thunderstorm headed our way. I hadn't had much experience with dogs freaking out during storms before this, my dog could barely hear the storm enough to get upset, so I was a little upset, myself! The storm hadn't even made it to us yet and Bear became very clingy and nervous. I had no idea what was going on and didn't even know a storm was on the way yet. But once it hit us, poor Bear completely lost it and the only thing I could do was let this 100 pound dog sit in my lap while i wrapped my arms around him. If I so much as loosened my arms, he started shaking and going crazy again. So I sat there, arms wrapped tight around Bear until the storm passed. I felt just terrible for this typically brave dog and couldn't imagine what he might have done had I not been there to see him through the storm.

I'm sure that many have similar experience with their dogs and cats. I suppose this is why there is so much advice available for treating what some call thunderphobia. There are also various medications available, even homeopathic treatments.

Medications and treatments aside, it looks like the top bits if advice are to allow your pet to find a place that he or she feels is safe such as a crate or basement; keep your pet by your side and comfort him through the storm; or distract your pet with toys, games or music.

It's probably best to consult with your veterinarian before administering any kind of medication but remember, there's no substitute for the comfort and affection a loving owner can offer to a pet in distress.

GPS for Pets

I have always thought that someone should make a GPS tracking system available for dogs. Looks like I was too busy wishing to actually see if it exists. Turns out there are GPS systems out there for Fido! What a great idea! But, wow, what a costly idea. GPS systems are available for somewhere between $200 and $500, plus, some require activation fees and Monthly usage fees. Ugh! It might be sometime before such a device becomes commonplace for dogs and cats.

Here are a couple of the products I found:

Global Pet Finder
RoamEO

Pet's Eye View Camera

Here's something fun for the curious dog-lover. Check out what Fido sees with a cool collar camera. It takes pics every one, five or 15 minutes so you can see what Fido's been seeing and what he's gotten into all day!

Warren Eckstein's Advice for Pet Owners

Warren Eckstein, author of "Pet Aerobics," "How to Get Your Cat to Do What You Want," and "The Illustrated Dog's Life," gives some advice on dealing with a "crazy" dog and a new baby, getting your dog to signal when he needs to go out, getting Fido to not gobble all his food so fast, and more. Check out the transcript from his show "The Pet Show With Warren Eckstein."

People Food for Pets

Most of us have the skinny on what people food is bad for our pets -- chocolate, caffeine (yes, even for couch potatoes), beer (hopefully everyone knows this!), candy, etc. But here's the latest on what's bad for them and, surprisingly, what might be good for 'em!

People Food & Pets, the latest.

Home Foreclosures Affect Pets

With home foreclosures on the rise, pets are often the silent victims of the state of our downtrodden economy. Many people who cannot afford to keep their homes are forced to move to lower-cost apartments that do not allow pets. These pets are then given up or, worse, abandoned. There are shelters and animal rescues in the nation that have created foreclosure programs, much like safekeeping programs, that allow owners to leave their pets temporarily while they can make arrangements to find a new home that allows pets. Unfortunately most shelters and animal rescues do not have the space or foster homes to sustain such a program indefinitely. It's best to find a friend or family member who can help in such a situation, but it is never humane to just leave your pets behind or release them outside to fend for themselves. Pets are domesticated animals that do not have the skill or know-how to fend for themselves and survive on their own. Pets don't know the state of the economy and cannot understand why one day their beloved guardian is showering them with love and feeding them daily and the next they are without the affection and protection they need.


Find pet-friendly housing in Arlington, Virginia and the Washington, DC area.

Animal Rescue or Shelter?

What does it mean to be an animal rescue or pet rescue organization? Is an animal rescue something different than an animal shelter?

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington in Virginia, with an open-door policy and animal control services under its roof serves, as I suspect many shelters do, as both an animal shelter and animal rescue. Many shelters not only provide homes to unwanted pets and adopt out great animals, they also provide a variety of animal rescue services. Every day the loving staff at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington rescue pets from adverse situations.

For example, if shelters and rescues did not exist, it would not necessarily make guardians of unwanted pets keep them, would it? Then what would happen? Would the dog of the people who are moving to a place that does not allow pets be dumped on the side of the road or simply left behind? It happens, more often with cats, that they are abandoned when a family moves. Left to fend for themselves.

But what, exactly, is the difference between and animal rescue and and animal shelter? According to an entry in Wikipedia:

"There are two major difference between shelters and rescue groups. Shelters are usually run and funded by local government. Rescue groups are funded mainly by donations and most of the staff are volunteers. While some shelters put animals into foster homes, many are housed on site in kennels. Rescue groups place all their rescues into foster homes as they do not have shelter facilities."

Well, the Animal Welfare League of Arlington is partially funded by the County but offers additional services such as veterinary assistance, low-cost spay and neuter, additional healthcare for unwanted animals and so much more with help from donations.

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington does employ the use of volunteer foster homes, as many other shelters do and as rescues do, and, there are several rescue organization in the Virginia area that do have onsite kennels, in addition to foster homes.

There is also a common misconception that all shelters impose a time limit on animals in their care. At the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, as with many of the more progressive shelters, this is absolutely not the case.

It seems that as animal shelters evolve, the lines between animal rescues and animal shelters are blurred.

Thankfully, however, at least in Virginia, we have so many shelters and rescues serving the animals of our community that hopefully, one day, no dog, cat or small companion animal will have to do without rescue.

Canine Melanoma Vaccine Update

There is much interest, still, in this new canine melonoma vaccine but

still little information seems to be available. News reports suggest

that the vaccine could one day help humans, too. And other reports state

that dogs receiving the vaccine have lived up to three times longer than

expected.

I would suggest contacting the Animal Medical Center in NY for more information or discussing it with a veterinarian such as South Paws in Fairfax, Virginia, that is participating in the study.

Pets, Smarter than you think?

From National Geographic...

Could pets be even smarter than we think? I say true animal lovers have known this all along!

Good news for dogs...

From the VA SPCA, good news for dogs...

All three bills: puppy mill regulation, dog and cock fighting prohibitions and posting of bond by owners for seized animals have passed out of both Houses. House Bill 538 has to go back to the House from the Senate to accept the Senate amendment but hopefully that will happen this week.

The animal fighting bill, House Bill 656 came out of Senate unanimously as did House Bill 999, which requires the posting of a bond. The Puppy Mill regulation bill, House Bill 538 has had a somewhat more difficult fight but that is to be expected. It came out of the Senate 34-5 today. This bill was developed and promoted by a few of us in the Virginia animal welfare world and didn’t have the same “sexy” quality that the Vick case brought to dog fighting… and we didn’t have paid lobbyists supporting it, we just had you. The success of this bill is due entirely to the calls and letters and emails you all sent to your elected officials. This is a new area of regulation in Virginia and a bold step for which you should all feel proud.

If you go onto the Legislative website, www.leg1.state.va.us, you can look at any of these bills, how they moved through the process and who voted for them. You can click on Bills and Resolutions, then Most Frequently Accessed, you will find House Bill 538 and then House Bill 656 were nos. 3 & 4, after the budget bills. That is testament to the citizens’ interest, pro and con, on these important matters.

Spay and Neuter Law

Looks like California has taken a giant leap forward in the effort to make a dent in pet overpopulation by making spay and neuter not only the burden of shelters and rescues, but of the law. According to the NY Times:

"Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles signed one of the nation’s toughest laws on pet sterilization, requiring most dogs and cats to be spayed or neutered by the time they are 4 months old. The ordinance intends to reduce and eventually eliminate the thousands of euthanizations conducted in the city’s animal shelters every year. The ordinance exempts some animals, including those that have competed in shows or sporting competitions, guide dogs, animals used by police agencies and those belonging to professional breeders."

Finally, legislators take it upon themselves to make the problem of pet overpopulation the entire community's responsibility, not just the shelters and rescues.

Beagle Wins Best in Show

Uno, Westminster Kennel Club's 2008 Best In Show dog, is our hero! A Beagle winning Best in Show? Uno represents not just the under dog, he represents "every dog." He's the champion of the common dog and a savior to homeless animals and animal shelters everywhere. Sure, previous winners were great dogs, Bichons, Newfies, Spaniels, Poodles, etc., but let's face it, animal shelters don't have an abundance of homeless toy breeds or gentle giants. Shelters do however, on almost any given day, have at least one Beagle or Beagel mix awaiting a new home. Let's hope that Uno works his way into the hearts of dog-lovers everywhere and starts a new fad that helps to reduce the number of unwanted Beagles in our animal shelters!

Just a little fun fact, the beagle was the second most adopted breed at the Arlington shelter in 2007 -- most likely due to the shear number of beagles at the shelter last year!

Indoor Dog Parks

Anyone who has ever been to a dog park knows how much fun pooches have prancing about, sans leashes, and pouncing on one another. Doggie day care, at least the ones I have seen, are much like indoor dog parks. The catch? They're not free and owners are not typically present to witness the fun. That's why indoor dog parks are a great idea! One indoor dog park has opened in Woodbridge, Virginia. Professional Paws Daycare allows residents to bring their pooches to their 6000 square foot area for a romp. Owners must be present to enjoy the sight, but it's not free -- $15 per session. Might be fun for Fido but wouldn't a free indoor dog park be even better?

Pet Contraception

There are numerous types of animal shelters and rescues out there, all with their own ideas on what’s best for the animal community, but the one thing that almost all of these organizations seem to agree on is that the best way to control the number of homeless, unwanted animals is by spaying or neutering. Some organizations spay and neuter all animals in their care, others require adopters to have the animals spayed or neutered upon adoption. Whatever the method, most rescue pets must be spayed or neutered at some point. There are, of course, some obstacles to this such as surgery cost, adopter noncompliance, and veterinary access. What if pets could be somehow sterlizied without the financial burden or surgical procedure? This may provide shelters and rescues with an easy, low-cost approach to control pet populations.

The Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs (ACC&D) has been formed and supported by leading animal welfare agencies to find this method of sterlization. The mission of the ACC&D:

To expedite the successful introduction of methods to non-surgically sterilize dogs and cats and to support the distribution and promotion of these products to humanely control cat and dog populations world wide.

Check out the ACC&D’s website for more info and ways to get involved and support the effort.

Pets Reduce Stress

Pets have always been credited with helping us reduce stress in our lives. Dogs keep us exercising -- a sure fire way to reduce stress. Many pets, including dogs, cats and rabbits, keep us happy by providing much-needed love and companionship. Studies have shown that pets can even help to control blood pressure. So, if you’re a healthy, animal-loving person, why not adopt a pet? The benefits are endless for you and your rescued furry friend!

Heartworm Prevention Reminder

I was once given the most valuable freebie ever, at least the most valuable for pet owners. This giveaway was better, in my opinion, than any logo pen, magnet, sticker, can lid, or jar opener. It was a magnet reminder for my dog's heartworm medication. Each month it would beep to notify me that it was time for a fresh heartworm preventative chew. Upon giving the treat to my dog I would then simply press a little button and it would be silent until the same day the next month. Before that I kept a calendar on the fridge and, dutifully, put the stickers on each day of the month, but there was nothing to remind me to check the calendar. I would recommend a gadget like this for any dog owner, if I could only find another one like it.

In lieu of such a cool, no-hassle, free gadget like this, some companies do offer an email reminder service -- not a bad idea. Revolution and Heartgard allow you to apply for a membership for an email reminder each month. Why not take advantage of this? Of course, if anyone can find a fridge magnet reminder, please share with the rest of us who could use a little no-hassle reminder to make our lives, and Fido's, just a little bit easier.