Thanksgiving Toxicity

Nope this dog does have a hangover.  With Thanksgiving just around the corner, the image did remind me to stock up on garbage gut remedies.  The staff and I have a betting pool on how many vomiting and diarrhea dogs we will see following a holiday.

I am ever watchful of my holiday guests, especially my grandchildren, feeding my dogs leftovers and tidbits from their dinner plate.  It is certainly foolish to think my dogs would turn down a piece of pumpkin pie because they knew it is bad for them.  But too much of a good thing is certainly not fun for your dog.  The veterinarian side of me has to speak out!

Pumpkin pie is rich with condensed milk, certainly high in calories and not only contributing to obesity but also the rich food can cause gastric upsets.  Many of diet conscious bakers will use artificial sweeteners, which can be toxic to pets.  Turkey skin is high in fat and again can cause dietary upsets.  I remember one Thanksgiving when Scout, my parents Jack Russell Terrier, jumped up on the kitchen bar and was chowing down on turkey carcass!  And another Thanksgiving when he jumped up on the kitchen table where my mother was cooling pecan pies...yep...minus one pie for the family dinner!

In my veterinary world, we have several names the result of indescretionary eating; garbage gut, garbage intoxication among others.  Dietary indiscretion is common while most cases are mild and self-limiting, some dogs however, suffer severe illness that can require intensive treatment.  The worst forms of garbage gut can lead to pancreatitis and other serious complications.

Symptoms include diarrhea (sometimes bloody), anorexia, and vomiting.  No fun for any dog.  Most cases may resolve 24-72 hours without long term health effects.  If clinical signs are severe or last longer than 24 hours, a visit to your veterinarian is in order.  Some dogs require I.V. fluids and anti-vomiting medications, and when this is after hours it can be especially expensive.

The best advise is to resist sharing your Thanksgiving feast with your pets, even if it means the dog is in a back bedroom or his crate during meal time (my remedy to keeping my grandchildren from feeding the dogs).  Politely request adults to not feed your dog, no matter how hard the dog begs and ask them if they are willing to pay your vet bill when they fail to follow directions!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and good EATING!

Clicker Training 101

Clicker training is a great tool for training.  All you need are three things; a dog, a clicker and treats.  Then start having  fun!

First you have to teach your critter that the click means that he will get a treat.  Begin by holding small treats in one hand or on a table very close by.  You can use your dog's kibble (it helps to keep your dog hungry, so I would start before you feed him his dinner or breakfast).  Click the clicker once (and only once) and give a treat.  Keep the treats small, you don't want him to get too full too quickly.  Your dog will soon learn that the click is a promise of a treat.  Don't break your promise.  Continue clicking and treating until you notice that he is looking at the clicker or you instead of the treat.  He will look as if he is saying "Get with it and click that think would ya so I can have a treat!"

Another way to do the same thing is to have your clicker and treats ready and every time your dog does something you like you will click and treat it.  You are not going to ask for anything, you simply click the action you like and reward it.  Example:  your dog is sitting quietly beside you, click and treat (C/T), your dog lays down by your feet, C/T,  your dog is looking at you, C/T.  Click and treat that special cute thing he does that makes you laugh!  Continue C/T every time your dog repeats the action you want.  You will start to see your dog offering you behaviors for the click and treat.  That is when you know he understands what this game means.  Be careful what you click...because you will get it.  If you are clicking while is is jumping up on you...you got it!  The clicker timing is the most critical part of the learning process.  You can be slow about the treat...but the click should always be timed at the exact moment your dog gives you the action you want.

Remember to keep teaching sessions short.  Dogs seem to do best with sessions only 3-5 minutes long.  If your dog loses interest or wanders off, be patient.  Wait and come back to it later.  Be sure to keep him hungry as well, often I use my dog's entire daily meal for training throughout the day.

Once your dog has the clicker language understood you can start using the clicker for having fun games that teach your dog new tricks.

The loss of a valued family pet

Growing up my dad always had German Shorthaired Pointers for hunting.  These dogs were more than just working dogs, they were also the family pet.  When I was a fifth grader we lived along the Highway North of Chanute, my parents owned and operated a 24 hour truck stop.  One morning early and before the school bus arrived, Coco had escaped from her outside dog kennel and got hit by a car and was killed.  I was devastated.  I went on to school, but was so upset that I was disruptive to the class.  I remember my teacher telling me that there was no need to be so upset over a dog!  I had a strong dislike for that teacher after that.

Anyone who considers a pet a beloved friend, companion, or family member knows the intense pain that accompanies the loss of that friend. Following are some tips on coping with that grief, and with the difficult decisions one faces upon the loss of a pet.


Intense grief over the loss of a pet is normal and natural. Don't let anyone tell you that it's silly, crazy, or overly sentimental to grieve! Your pet was a significant and constant part of your life; a source of comfort and companionship, of unconditional love and acceptance, of fun and joy. So don't be surprised if you feel devastated by the loss of such a relationship. People who don't understand the pet/owner bond may not understand your pain. All that matters, however, is how you feel. Don't let others dictate your feelings: They are valid, and may be extremely painful. Remember, you are not alone, there are many pet owners that have shared the same feelings.


The most important step you can take is to be honest about your feelings. Don't deny your pain, or your feelings of anger and guilt. Only by examining and coming to terms with your feelings can you begin to work through them.

You have a right to feel pain and grief! Someone you loved has died, and you feel alone and bereaved. You have a right to feel anger and guilt, as well. Acknowledge your feelings first, then ask yourself whether the circumstances actually justify them.

Locking away grief doesn't make it go away. Express it. Cry, scream, pound the floor, talk it out. Do what helps you the most. Don't try to avoid grief by not thinking about your pet; instead, reminisce about the good times. This will help you understand what your pet's loss actually means to you.

Some find it helpful to express their feelings and memories in poems, stories, or letters to the pet. Other strategies including rearranging your schedule to fill in the times you would have spent with your pet; preparing a memorial such as a photo collage; and talking to others about your loss.  A few years ago when I lost my dear Cookie, I rummaged through my picture box and found lots of pictures of Cookie with the family and other dogs in our home.  I bought a picture box and hung it on the picture wall of our family that goes up along our stairway.


If your family or friends love pets, they'll understand what you're going through. Don't hide your feelings in a misguided effort to appear strong and calm! Working through your feelings with another person is one of the best ways to put them in perspective and find ways to handle them. Find someone you can talk to about how much the pet meant to you and how much you miss it-someone you feel comfortable crying and grieving with.  In my clinic, we invite our grieving clients to share their pet stories and pictures with us.  Each of us at the Animal Care Center has lost pets and understand your loss.

I celebrate the bond that animals share in my life.  Each has left a lasting paw print on me, that has help shaped the person I have become and the person I continue to grow into.

Clicker Training: A fun way to teach new behaviors

Years ago my husband and I took our girls to Sea World and watched with delight as the dolphins and whales preformed aquatic aerobatics for the crowd.  This was my stepping stone to understanding how as humans we can use the power of positive reinforcement to teach and shape behaviors in any animal (man and beast).  At Sea World they teach to perform behaviors that they do naturally in the wild on cue.  To do this they first had to teach the dolphin a language that simply put..means when you do that (a specific behavior), I promise to reward you with...fish!

In the marine world, a whistle is used to teach this language of positive behavior, in our pet world we can use a clicker.  A small plastic clicker makes a unique sound that when used serves as a marker signal that tells your dog or cat or horse "Yes, that is what I want you to do" and it also promises them a reward for doing it.  In working with my dogs, I have used the verbal cue "yes" to let the dog know that he did what I wanted, however, the use of the clicker can mark/capture the moment that your pet does what you want quicker than a verbal cue.  For example:  let's say that I am trying to teach a dog not to jump up on people in greeting and that I would rather the dog sit quietly beside the guest and wait for attention.  As the dog greets a guest I ask for a sit and say "Yes" as he sits, because of my slow verbal human ability, the dog has already started back up before I can get the whole word "Yes" out of my mouth and the "Yes" is actually being completed when the dog is moving back upward.  With a clicker, I can click (thus marking the behavior) as soon as his butt his the ground and since I have taught the dog that the click means "Yes, good job and here is your reward" I can more accurately communicate with my dog.

The idea of positive reinforcement training is that you are going to use something your pet really wants (food, praise, petting) as a reward for behaving in a manner that you like.  All living creatures repeat behaviors that are rewarding and avoid ones that are not. The more pleasurable the reward the more likely the behavior will be repeated.  Conversely, we do not reward the behaviors we don't want.  Example: my dog jumps on me for attention, so I turn my back to him, I don't touch him, talk to him or give him any attention in any way.  Jumping didn't get him what he wanted...attention. But I have to tell my dog what I want instead...sit by me quietly...so I wait until he sits and BINGO!  he gets what he wanted...a pat on the head!  Try this with your children or spouse... Find a good behavior they do (I recommend one that you wish they would do more often) and praise them constantly for it.  Example:  you want your spouse to put their dirty clothes in the laundry basket and not on the floor by the basket.  So you wait and watch...every time they actually hit the basket..."Hey! Honey...I really appreciate your putting your dirty clothes in the basket" and give them a hug or kiss.  Comment on it every time.  "Thanks for the help by hitting the basket"..."It was sure nice of you to pick your dirty clothes off the floor", etc.  See what happens.  The rule is whatever you reward/reinforce is what you get.  If your reinforce good behavior...you will get it.

Your dog already knows how to sit, lie down, walk by you, come to you with ear flapping and to even lie down in one spot for a long time--when he wants to.  All you have to do is teach him the words/cues for these behaviors and make them rewarding and fun for him so he will want to do them when you ask. Clicker training is a tool that helps make this possible.  It also makes learning fun!

If you would like to learn more about Positive Reinforcement Training and using a Clicker, I invite you to e-mail me for a list of really great books that can help you or even come into the clinic to check out some of the books in my library.  I can also recommend some great video websites that give you a good starting point.