Dr D & D Pet Advice Column

Dr. Dottie & Dr. Devas Advice Column

Dr. Devas                                              Dr. Dottie
Professer of Nose It All                          Doggie Vet Behavioral Specialist
Graduated Last in His Class                   Graduated First in Her Class
Pampered Pupster University                  University of Dogs and Us
Dogsville, USA                                        Pekeytown, USA

Devas and Dottie are members of the "Collins Crew". Both have wanted for some time to have an advice column based on their educational background. We felt it was about time for their debut. Hopefully everyone will enjoy their input.

Disclaimer:
Please discuss the advice from Devas and Dottie with your veterinarian before making any changes in your dog's medical care, diet, or daily regimen.

Question: My name is Peaches. My mom is concerned with the melamine (chemical) found in the commercial dog foods. Is there a safe and nutritious diet for dogs? Also, if I can not talk Mom into cooking for me, what commercial dog foods do you recommend?

Answer from Dr. Devas: Woohooo... nothing like having Mom cook and catching crumbs when she trips over you standing at her feet in the kitchen. Tell your Mom to start cooking the finest steaks and buying loads of ice cream.

Answer from Dr. Dottie: Our holistic vet, Dr. Garner has come up with a tasty homemade dog food recipe. It is balanced and nutritious. You can find the recipe listed on our Library page. In regard to our recommended commercial dog foods, we highley recommend the Merrick canned and dry dog foods. There website is Merrick Pet Foods and you can locate stores in your area who carry this product line.

Question: My name is Andy. I have this honking noise that I make sometimes and it scares Mom. She took me to the vet and he said it was reverse sneezing. What should she do to help me when I have a reverse sneezing episode?

Answer from Dr. Devas: Boy, I'll bet that sound can be really irritating - do you live on a farm where there are a lot of geese? Tell your Mom to find a good nasal inhaler for you and when this happens blow out instead of in.

Answer from Dr. Dottie: Reverse Sneeze is a problem of the pharyngeal region but is called a reverse sneeze because it looks like you are trying to inhale a sneeze. Swallowing stops attacks of reverse sneezing, so your mom has to find a way to make you swallow. Your reverse sneezing may be controlled by gently massaging the pharyngeal area (upper neck) or having your mom briefly place a finger over your nostrils, forcing you to breathe through your mouth. Tell her to only do this for a few seconds. It will seem scary to both of you but definitely discuss this procedure with your vet and let your vet demonstrate for your mom. Reverse sneezing tends to start at an early age and to be a persistant problem. Collapsing trachea has similiar symptoms and is common in small breeds but normally produces a honking cough. Tracheal collapse is a problem that occurs because of improper formation of the tracheal rings. Weakness in the tracheal rings leads to a condition in which the trachea collapses, either during inspiration (breathing in) or expiration (breathing out), depending on the location of the problem in the trachea. This is highly irritating to the dog and couging results. Tracheal collapse may cause some symptoms at an early age but in most dogs there is a gradual increase in coughing over time and it may reach a point in which there are coughing episodes that last for several minutes and do resemble reverse sneezing. Severe tracheal collapse symptoms are more common in older dogs. Please ask your mom to discuss possible collapsed trachea with your vet.

Question: My name is Dallas. I am a 3 yr. old Pomeranian. Whenever Mom comes home, I accidently tinkle a little bit on the floor. Sometimes when she just looks over at me, I will dribble also. The vet said I am a submissive tinkler. What can we do?

Answer from Dr. Devas: First thing is to find a vet who does not use the word "tinkle". There are some very good books out there to read to instill self confidence in yourself. You need to get tough, become an alpha in the home and not submit to anyone or anything.

Answer from Dr. Dottie: When humans enter your home, they should not rush toward you but they should allow you to approach them in your own time. Humans should speak softly to you, avoid prolonged eye contact, and kneel down to avoid towering over you. They should ignore you for the first 5 minutes after arriving home to prevent over excitement. They should not reach for you, especially over your head. You should be petted under the chin, on the chest and on the side of the neck.
Dogs with submissive or excitement urination may be helped by being taught an alternate greeting behavior or to associate greetings with a different set of emotional responses. These are forms of counter conditioning. Tell your mom to meet you at the door with a treat or toy. You will learn to anticipate food or play when she comes home and be less likely to urinate, especially with treats! This will change your excited or submissive greeting to a calm one. She will ask you to sit for your treat and then once you have finished your treat you can be calmly petted. Dogs with submissive urination should never be punished. Some dogs are so sensitive that even upset facial expressions or tense body language from humans is enough to cause urination.
Your confidence needs to be built. Taking a basic dog obedience class that teaches positive reinforcement/reward with your mom will help give you confidence and give her a way to correct you by teaching you so that you will never be scolded. Reducing the amount of punishment will help build your confidence and help you to understand what your mom expects of you.

Question: My name is Sally. I am an 8 yr. old Pekingese and my joints are starting to get stiff. The vet told Mom that it was just my age. What can I do to get some relief and to be able to run and jump again?

Answer from Dr. Devas: My guess would be that you have not kept yourself on a good exercise program. You are probably overweight too. Try going on a diet and doing 100 leg lifts a day - should take care of the problem in no time.

Answer from Dr. Dottie: In order to shorten my answer, I will enclose several website links to give details on the different types of arthritis, which can be found at Types of Arthritis and Arthritis treatment. I would like to add that it is very important for all older dogs to be on some type of glucosamine and/or chondroitin for the maintenance and protection of joints. An excellent explaination of how glucosamine works on the joint can be found at how glucosamine eases arthritis pain in dogs. Personally, I reccomend either Joint Care Plus from Foster Smith or Glyco Flex II. In extreme arthritis cases, I recommend Glyco Flex III. One extra ingredient that is found in the new Glyco Flex products is DMG (dimethylglycine).

Disclaimer:
Please discuss the advice from Devas and Dottie with your veterinarian before making any changes in your dog's medical care, diet, or daily regimen.