Animals Unfolded

Carrying around a little more weight than we would like is the kind of thing that tends to sneak up on us. Most of us love to eat, and if you're like me, cooking and feeding others is gratifying, too. That extends to our pets just the same.  That's not surprising, given that the market for pet food has grown so in recent years. It used to be that there were just a handful of choices for both dogs and cats but with the flood of limited-ingredient, organic and frozen raw diets available, we tend to be much more conscious of how we're nourishing our companion animals. There's one problem, though. We're not paying attention to  how much  we're feeding them.  For a pet, being overweight means having many of the same risks and health issues that affect us humans. Heart and respiratory disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis – even some cancers – just to name a few.  In a study on a group of dogs , researchers found that the obese animals shared something...

I find my myself repeating a handful of mantras. One of which, 'nothing worthwhile is ever fast nor easy...' bubbles up frequently. It applies to many things in life, right? We might be working toward a goal, like getting better at playing a musical instrument, working on a knitting stitch that we find troubling or learning a new language (something I'm doing right now). Things take time and practice to get the results we're aiming for.  It's not surprising that we at times want to arrive at that end goal a little faster or get that desired result "right now". We don't want to wait nor do we feel like we have the time to do so. It's natural. Let's keep in mind this isn't limited to our ourselves; empowering others to get better at something is important too. That includes our pets.  When addressing unwanted behaviors in our pets, we can't rush it. These things take time, though the pet products industry (and pet store s...

Low-stress handling techniques are of great importance to me in my work. In fact, just a few weeks ago I felt it important to reiterate and clarify my policies on using them in an update to clients. Whether I'm administering medication to a cat, accompanying a canine charge on a walking adventure or something else, they should feel as comfortable as possible about what's going on.  This isn't a philosophy that is limited to us professionals. Pet owners can easily employ these often simple techniques at home in their day-to-day interactions. I share life with pets too, of course. In fact as many of you are aware, my brood in recent years have segued from old age, into hospice and for two of them, end-of-life. With the prospect of the more veterinary visits and daily medication being the norm at that point in life, low-stress handling becomes even more important. I assure you that in utilizing this kind of approach, it made navigating through it all much easier for h...

Navigating chronic kidney disease, or CKD is it's commonly referred to, is a journey sometimes fraught with challenges. In my experience, inappetence is the most common barrier in keeping things on track with managing a good quality of life for kitties with renal issues.  Most felines with CKD experience a disinterest in food from time to time and it's nothing to be terribly worried about so long as it comes back within a day or so. Beyond that, you need to act fast so it's important to be vigilant about how your cat is behaving, and what other symptoms might be presenting. This helps to get to the root cause so that those things can be addressed and allow kitty to make friends with food again. Common causes of a waning appetite in cats with renal insufficiency Nausea, vomiting and excess stomach acid can all be culprits in suppressing a cats willingness to eat, on their own or in any combination. It's important to think outside the box though, as t...

It’s not what you say, but how you say it. Despite the fact that I spend more of my time each day communicating with dogs than humans, I assure you that this is something that is not lost on me with each interaction that I have with my charges. A recent read highlights the notion that dogs not only pick up on nonverbal communication and facial cues from humans, but that they can recognize emotions in humans by combining information from different senses. This is something that hasn't previously been seen outside of humans. That sort of thing isn’t so surprising to most of us who have shared life with a dog; it really does seem that in time, they pick up on our moods and such. My Gretchen was always very in-tune to what I was doing or feeling, especially as time went on. As she entered her final weeks, this became abundantly visible: it was almost as if a mirror was set in front of me if I were feeling uneasy about something that was happening, and I needed to tread with even m...

Creating an environment for pets that is low-stress and calm is a goal of pet owners and those who work with pets.  Shelters are, by and large stressful places or dogs, and though shelter staff do what they can to facilitate an enriching and nurturing environment, it can be challenging. Now it seems that they might have one trick up their sleeve to make it easier.  Researchers from Hartpury Animal Behavior College, UK wanted to see how classical music, pop music and music from Through a Dog's Ear stacked up against an audiobook – Michael York's reading of C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.  The data from using the audiobook was favorable: the dogs barked and vocalized less, exhibited more calm behaviors and they rested and slept more than when music was played. Click here to read the study, which was led by Clarissa Brayley and Tamara Montrose. This builds on what's been discovered about the use of classical music in kennels. ...

Though it's not been the case so much the season so far, Michigan is no stranger to snow. Despite the fact that many dogs really love the white stuff, clients and readers often lament about their small and toy breed dogs – and yes, puppies – who refuse to go outside and get business done in the winter. It's not that uncommon, and you can't blame the pets for feeling the way they do. Frustrated humans who are unable to convince their furry friends to get busy if it has snowed in many cases resort to using absorbent potty pads indoors. This isn't a terrible option, but understandably with puppies, wanting to stay on track with good outdoor habits that have been established is key.  One way to keep the momentum going is with with help of something you likely have in your shed or garage: a tarp. Before the next snowfall, simply lay out a tarp in a grassy area of your yard that your pooch prefers (ideally by the door). When it's time to go out, pull back the t...