Animals Unfolded

A frequent conversation that I have with someone who contacts me for the first time to care for their pet involves a lot of dialogue about their dog's behavior, and the better part of it is on the caller's part.  "My dog has been labeled as 'aggressive' toward members of the staff of the doggie daycare that they attend and has been asked to not come back , but they are fine at home," or, "My pet is uneasy and becomes unmanageable on walks, or around new people or groups of people," are familiar statements.  Some of these pets have snapped at people or even worse — bitten them. Can you relate? Many of my clients have called on me because they need a caregiver while they are away and they've been made to feel that they have a 'problem dog' and they're running out of options. The o ther arrangements have not worked out well for various reasons, but in most cases it's due to lack of knowledge and understanding on the part of ...

Wherever I am walking with one of my canine charges, there are usually a few smiles. It's hard for most people to walk past a dog without grinning and making a favorable comment, right? It goes without saying that for some, it's hard to suppress the urge to want to pet the dog I'm chaperoning or to stop and make small talk — and who can blame them? Dogs are fun!  I'll admit that I don't allow people — especially those who are unfamiliar and ditto for children — to approach or pet my charges, and that's for several reasons. Some of the dogs are not comfortable with that. Others may be recovering from surgery or are old (and may be experiencing things like cognitive dysfunction). A handful are well, a handful when interacting with others. But let's not forget that some folks, regardless of age, aren't very good at knowing how to get up close and personal to a dog with care and finesse.  And any of that could be a recipe for trouble, (and that...

Our companion animals are living longer, more full lives, and that's due to a few things: advances in medical care, nutrition, and no doubt a better understanding of their emotional needs.  Dr. Alexander with a senior patient But that doesn't mean that because a pet has been lucky enough to make it to their double-digit birthdays that we can slow up our pace of diligence when it comes to their needs. In fact, we need to step it up a bit.  "It might be easy to dismiss them as old," says Dr. Lyssa Alexander, DVM.  "But there's much that can be done today to help senior pets live longer, more comfortable lives." And that's something that Alexander, who, along with Dr. Holly Zechar, DVM strives for at All Creatures Animal Clinic in Ann Arbor. In fact, it's a topic that Alexander will be discussing at a talk at Pet People —  located at 3330 Washtenaw Avenue in Ann Arbor — later this month. The pet supply store expressed interest...