Author Archives: Nancy Gallimore Werhane

Fostering for Success

posted November 15th, 2011 by
by Nancy Gallimore Werhane

So, I just walked into my living room and there is no place for me to sit down.   Every possible surface was covered with snoozing dogs. I wish I could tell you this is an unusual sight for me, but it’s not. I have a lot of dogs.  A lot.

No, I am not going to appear on the next episode of Animal Hoarders. At least, I sure hope not. A good number of the aforementioned couch-hogs are not mine – they are my foster dogs. They are my very welcome, temporary canine guests who are staying in our home until the perfect adoptive family comes along to give them a permanent home of their own.

Standing there wondering how and when I might be allowed to relax on my own couch, it did dawn on me that there might be a little flaw in my fostering plan.

Dogs free-range in the house and on the furniture… Hmmm…. What if a great prospective home comes along that prefers dogs stay off the furniture? (All of my dogs just gave a huge collective shudder.) Fostering homeless dogs is a great thing to do. No, this is not me patting myself on the back.  This is me patting myself, and a huge number of dedicated people in our area, on the back. The ability to house rescued dogs in private foster homes helps relieve the strain on crowded shelters.  It helps non-profit groups save more deserving animals while saving the expense of boarding fees.  And for the animals fostered? It lets us learn as much as possible about their temperament and habits, while also getting a jump start on important training. Oh… we’re supposed to be training them.

Ok, I am selling myself a bit short. I do work with my foster dogs to integrate them into normal home life, although I am not sure you can call anything at my house normal.  Jim, my ever-patient partner in life and fostering, and I do teach our foster dogs that they should potty outside. We teach them that a dog crate is really just their own private room.

We teach them that sitting politely will earn them a cookie. But is that enough?  Perhaps not.

According to Amy Hoagland, volunteer with Pet Adoption League (PAL), the most common reason dogs are returned to the rescue is because they are not housetrained. Additional complaints include destructive behavior and/or a lack of manners.

Time for a tiny soapbox moment here.

It makes me a tad bit crazy when I am approached by people who want to rescue a dog, but would like one that is housetrained, behaves perfectly in all situations, doesn’t need to use a crate, heels on walks, and if it could make the morning coffee that would be great, too.

Really? Oh yes, dogs just like that are turning up in shelters and rescue programs every single day. And now I’ll hop back down. Truth be told, anything a foster volunteer can do to jumpstart a rescued dog’s training is a great thing.  It’s part of the job and, hopefully, part of the fun.

Hoagland says that in addition to “It’s also important for foster families to help socialize the dog and teach it good basic manners – things such as no jumping up on people, not allowing begging from the table and walking nicely on a leash,” says Hoagland.

“Instilling routines and boundaries during the foster process will help the dog succeed when it gets to its new home.” I decided that I should create a pro/ con list of sorts for my foster dogs. If you know a dog’s strengths and, let’s call them “areas in need of improvement,” then you can devise an adoptionfocused training plan. Let’s take a look at one of my dogs in waiting.

Meet Suzy. Found stray outside of a convenience store, she is a young mixed breed dog. So mixed, in fact, I can’t really even decide what breeds came together through the generations to create her.

She’s about two years old and has a great temperament. A great candidate for adoption, right? But, she has not yet found that perfect home, so let’s take a closer look at Suzy, and the things I could do to improve her potential.

into my living room, and there was no place for me to sit down. housetraining, her foster home wish list includes crate training and a routine feeding schedule (no free-feeding!).

Pros:

Suzy is young, friendly, good around children and good with other dogs. She is housetrained. She will stay in a crate without fussing. She is a nice, medium size and has a short coat that requires little grooming. She is out of the puppy destructive phase, and she’s very sweet and playful.

Cons:
Without the convenience of a dog door? Well, I’m not sure she understands to cross her legs and whine at the door.

Finally, and perhaps odd for the con list, she’s friendly. Really friendly. When you meet Suzy for the first time, she acts as though you are her long lost best friend. To put it simply, she goes a little (…OK, a lot) nuts.

On the scale of cons, being overlyfriendly may not seem like such a big deal. Friendly is, after all, good. Suzy, however, is bouncy, squealing, jump-allover you friendly. Frankly, it can be a bit overwhelming.

To do my sweet foster girl justice, I need to teach her a few more skills to help her find and stay in a loving, permanent home. The housetraining issue just requires that I designate a few key times throughout the day and evening to take Suzy out the back door and then praise her for doing her business outside. I will crate her at night, so I can take her straight out the door in the morning. I can start a potty routine with her instead of letting her come and go as she pleases, via the dog door.

As for the crazy greeting ritual, a little creative training is in order. Suzy’s intentions are good, she just needs a bit of work on her mode of expression. In the positive training world, the best way to stop a dog from doing a behavior you don’t like is to pick a behavior you do like that is incompatible with the undesired behavior. So, for a dog that is jumping up on people, you teach her to sit for attention. The dog soon learns that jumping up does not get attention, and sitting does.

For a dog that is as enthusiastic about her greeting ritual as Suzy is, just teaching her to sit for hello may not be totally effective. In addition to sit for hello, I am going to teach her a few fun tricks that will allow her to interact and receive attention, but in a fashion that is not only appropriate, but also endearing.

Suzy is going to learn to high five, perhaps to sit up and wave or maybe to turn in circles on request – all ways to burn enthusiasm without knocking someone over.

I will also teach Suzy to “hug.” Often, when you put an undesirable behavior on cue, you can control it and give it an on/off switch. By teaching Suzy to “hug” on command, she will learn to do it only on cue, and I will be able to tell her when it’s time to stop.

I think this is a good solution because Suzy really loves to hug, and I really enjoy hugging her back. Anyone who doesn’t want a huggable dog should not adopt Suzy. Actually, I really believe that anyone who doesn’t want a huggable dog shouldn’t adopt a dog at all. Food for thought.

OK, back to the situation in my living room. Well, truth be told, I am going to continue to allow my dogs on the furniture. I truly enjoy having them relax there with me. I’m not going to tell my foster dogs otherwise, but my compromise is that I do teach every dog the “off” cue. So, while I am not teaching them to stay off the couch, I am giving prospective owners the ability to ask the dog to move off of prime seating when necessary. If anyone out there is interested in adopting Suzy, or any of my foster dogs, just know that if you don’t care to share your couch, then you’re going to have a little bit of work to do.

My guess is that Suzy’s beautiful brown eyes just might change your mind.

Well, yes, she gets on the furniture. Not a con at my house, but perhaps not what someone else would want. She is housetrained, but accustomed to using a dog door.

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Posted in November 2011, Pet Training | No Comments »

One Dog. One Cat.

posted September 15th, 2011 by

Their Journeys through the City of Tulsa Animal Wellfare Shelter


By Nancy Gallimore Werhane

By the end of a typical Tuesday at the City of Tulsa Animal Welfare facility, 57 animals had checked into the shelter. Twenty-four of those 57 animals were owner-surrenders, and 23 were picked up as strays by animal welfare field officers. Of the 23 stray animals, 19 were dogs, four were cats. But this is not a story about statistics. It is the story of one dog, one cat and their journeys though Tulsa’s shelter. I picked a random day of the week and was given a list of all stray animals that entered that day. I visited every one of them. First, I met the dogs.
Kennel 202A, brown/white Pit Bull mix.

Kennel 202B, tan Labrador Retriever mix. Kennel 245A, black/tan German Shepherd mix. Kennel 930, brown/ white English Bulldog. Kennel 215A and B, Great Dane/Boxer mix puppies. Of the 19 dogs I met, all but one shy Rottweiler mix welcomed my attention. Most greeted me at the fence with wagging tails. Kennel 204A held a black and white Labrador Retriever mix whom the staff had dubbed “Harry.” There was definitely something about Harry that drew me back to him. At first glance he was a fairly non-descript black mixed breed dog – a gangly youngster with legs seemingly too long for his adolescent body.
But he had soft brown eyes that brightened when I spoke to him. He had a long tail that swished happily from side to side and then in a circle when he got a bit more excited to be the focus of my attention.
A quick check of Harry’s stats proved unremarkable.

He was found stray, wearing a red collar but no identification tags.
He was about one year old and had yet to be neutered. “OK, Harry,” I told him, “you’re my guy.” I headed on to the cats. My reception by the four young cats that came in that day was a bit different. All were young kittens, and all were feral. I doubt any of them had really ever been handled by humans at all. It’s possible that coming to the shelter was their first close encounter with people. With any domestic animal, proper handling at a very early age is crucial to the animal’s development. My Tuesday kittens had obviously not received that benefit. Nothing but mistrust and fear showed in their eyes and tense little bodies as I looked into their cages.

Cage 701 held a small black kitten with white on its nose, chest and paws. Like its counterparts, kitten 701 hissed at me and stayed to the back of its cage. This was a cute baby, despite its unwillingness to get to know me. “OK, little one,” I whispered, knowing this kitten’s prospects were not good. “You’re it.” And so the story begins of two Tulsa Animal Welfare Shelter occupants.

Upon arrival at the shelter, Harry and the kitten were placed in their respective kennels by animal welfare field officers and entered into the computer tracking program. Like every animal that comes into the shelter, my two strays were checked over by the shelter veterinary staff and vaccinated to keep them healthy during their stay.
Next, it was time to wait. While pets surrendered by their owners can be evaluated for adoption potential immediately upon arrival at the shelter, strays must be held for 72 hours to allow owners the chance to reclaim them. The countdown begins the day after their arrival and does not include Sundays or Mondays when the shelter is not open to the public.

Harry and the kitten came to the shelter on a Tuesday. They were held Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. During that time, Harry and the nameless kitten were monitored by the shelter’s Chief Veterinarian, Dr. Cathy Pienkos, and the veterinary technicians who staff the shelter clinic. Volunteers visited them. People looking to adopt a pet strolled by, pausing to give them a once over. Harry always greeted me with a happy disposition. He had fresh water, and he rested on a comfortable cot. The kennel area was monitored and kept clean by kennel technicians. While Harry’s days might have been a bit boring, he was safe, clean and well fed. He was in the hands of people who cared for his well being. With no real understanding of his situation, Harry seemed happy and content. My black kitten, on the other hand, continued to greet me with growls and hisses. My heart ached a little more with each spat. I knew this kitten’s chances of making it into the shelter’s adoption program were nonexistent. However, despite a lessthan social temperament, my kitten also received excellent care. The litter box was kept clean. There were bowls of fresh food and water, and there was a little box inside the cage that provided a perfect hiding place for a scared kitten.

Friday evening arrived and I checked in with shelter manager, Jean Letcher Jenkins, on the status of Harry and the kitten. Each stray animal that reaches the end of its holding period is then evaluated by the shelter staff, primarily by Dr. Pienkos and her staff, to determine its fate. They make note of how the animal behaved during its initial exam and take into account any notes made in the animal’s record. In Harry’s case, for example, someone had noted that he could be a little hyper but was very friendly. A good review – so that should mean he could make it into the adoption program, right? This brings us to the tricky part. Our shelter is generally That means that even the healthiest, friendliest of animals – dogs like Harry – might not make it into adoption. It becomes a numbers game, meaning the shelter staff has to make difficult decisions. As Jenkins so clearly explains it, 57 animals came into the shelter that one Tuesday, but 57 animals did not leave. There is only so much room.

One of the days I visited, 11 animals were adopted into new homes. Such a very happy ending for those cats and dogs, but if 57 animals came in on Tuesday alone, you don’t have to do the math to understand the situation. Limited space means being a friendly dog, that appears to be in good health, may not be enough to score an adopted family. If kennel space is limited, other factors come into play such as appearance, size and age. In Harry’s case, he was friendly and he was still healthy, but in the strike column, he was a big, black mixed breed dog, a few months beyond the cute puppy stage.
When asked about the Lab mix in Pen 204, Dr. Pienkos thought for a moment and said, “Oh, you mean Harry? He’s a nice boy.” That she could remember one dog out of hundreds was an impressive testimony to her very handson approach, considering the number of animals at the shelter. Dr. Pienkos went on to say that Harry’s chances of being adopted are not great. There are so many dogs like him that pass unnoticed through shelters every day. However, Dr. Pienkos was quick to add that the young dog has a good disposition and, fortunately, there was a little room to spare that day. Harry was going to be safe, at least for the weekend. My kitten was a different story. He, or she, was not friendly. In fact, so not friendly that they couldn’t even handle him/her to determine his/her gender.

Could someone have worked with this kitten to socialize it? Possibly. Was someone available to take on that project for this kitten and so many others? No. Adding to the kitten’s slim chance of adoption was the fact that there were so many other beautiful cats and kittens in adjacent cages – friendly, social and purring at the mere hint of attention. The kitten in cage number 701 was humanely euthanized by lethal injection the next morning. Of my Tuesday animals, two dogs and three kittens were put to sleep on their “release day.” According to Jenkins and Dr. Pienkos, that was a good day. On any other given day of the week, the euthanasia numbers could be much higher. Of course, this lottery would be replayed every day for each animal that passes through its holding period unclaimed.

Managing an overly crowded shelter is not an easy proposition, and I would certainly not want to walk a mile in the shoes of those who have to make such tough life decisions daily. Whatever your mental image is of the managers and employees who work in Tulsa’s shelter, I’m here to tell you that the people I spoke with are people who truly love animals. Jenkins’ office is testimony to that fact. The carpet has been removed in favor of a bare concrete slab floor. The furnishings include crates, litter boxes, pet beds and food and water bowls. The days I visited, there was a bouncy little Chihuahua mix underfoot and several kittens lounging and playing on the desk, computer keyboard and cabinets.

The office doubles as a sanctuary for kittens that need a little time to mature; a place for mother dogs and their new puppies to have a little peace and privacy; a place for a silly Chihuahua to socialize and possibly learn some manners. Visit the staff in the veterinary clinic and they will tell you a little bit about each of the animals in the hospital ward. They will smile at each groggy pet recovering from a spay or neuter because it means they are heading off to new homes. And they will each tell you about their favorite animals in the shelter.

As I write this article, Harry is still at the shelter, waiting for someone to notice his beautiful brown eyes. He is waiting for someone to take him out to the exercise yard, so he can show them he knows to sit and lie down on request. He is waiting, in the midst of so many other hopeful faces, for someone to see what a good dog

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Posted in General Interest, September 2011 | No Comments »

Understanding Tapeworms Like It or Not

posted July 15th, 2011 by

By Nancy Gallimore Werhane

If you are squeamish, this may not be the article for you. Fair warning. But if you are a concerned pet owner, this is a topic you need to understand, so steel yourself and read on because frankly, your veterinarian may need your help to diagnose this one.

The topic? The mysterious tapeworm. Also formally known as the disgusting tapeworm.

So why in the world should we even discuss this parasite? You take your cats and dogs to the veterinarian for checkups, right? Your veterinarian checks for things like this. Right? Well, here’s the ugly truth. While your veterinarian can screen your pets for many intestinal parasites like hookworms, roundworms and whipworms, the sneaky tapeworm evades detection in standard screenings.

How then, you may ask, is your pet diagnosed with tapeworms? Good question. Otherwise healthy dogs or cats may have tapeworm infections with no outward symptoms. That means detection often comes when you actually see them. Yes, you. Yes, see them. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Ok, let’s sort this out. Perhaps it’s best to start at the end. Literally. Tapeworms are most often diagnosed when someone notices what appear to be little white worms either in a pet’s stool or left behind where the dog or cat was sitting. The most common description is that they look like little pieces of squirming white rice. They might also be diagnosed by the discovery of what appears to be little grains of dried brown rice or seeds around the dog or cat’s anus. Why we compare both to food items is hard to fathom, but there you have it.

According to Dr. Dennis Henson of Hammond Animal Hospital in Tulsa, these little pieces are not the actual worms, but are segments of an adult tapeworm. “As the tapeworm matures,” explained Dr. Henson, “ it drops tail segments called proglottids, that are mobile. Each proglottid is a separate reproductive unit that contains the eggs of the tapeworm. These egg packets then pass in the feces of the dog or cat.”

That’s what makes tapeworm detection a bit tricky. With other parasites, the eggs shed directly in the animal’s feces.

Because the tapeworm eggs shed so neatly packaged, unless the segments disintegrate first, which rarely happens, they don’t show up in a traditional fecal test. The culprit in the spread of the most common form of tapeworm found in our pets is the common flea. Unlike other parasites, tapeworms require an intermediate host to complete their reproductive cycle. So here’s the Reader’s

Digest version of how it works:

  • A flea larvae eats fecal matter that contains tapeworm eggs.
  • The eggs hatch inside the flea and become cysticercoids.
  • A dog or cat may then swallow a flea that contains these cysticercoids.
  • The flea passes into the dog or cat’s intestine where it is broken down, releasing the cysticercoids.
  • The cysticercoids then develop into adult tapeworms that attach to the lining of the animal’s intestine and feed off the nutrients.

This is where we come full circle back to the part where the segments containing the eggs shed and the cycle is allowed to start all over again. Isn’t nature fun?

You may think your pet is safe because you religiously follow a flea prevention routine and don’t have fleas in your home environment. According to Dr. Henson, yes, that helps, but it does not guarantee that your pet will not be infested by tapeworms. “Your pet only has to swallow one infected flea,” said Henson. “A dog who goes for a walk where other animals have been or a cat who strays from its own yard can easily ingest a flea even with flea preventatives in use.”

There is also another type of tapeworm that is transmitted through small rodents, such as mice, rats, squirrels or rabbits, that serve as the intermediate host. If you have a hunter in your midst — and what dog or cat won’t occasionally partake of a “natural diet” when opportunity presents itself — then you have yet another avenue for the tapeworm to find its way into your pet’s intestinal tract.

According to Dr. Henson, there is some good news here. First, unless left unchecked for a very long period of time, tapeworms don’t generally cause a lot of damage in pets. Second, because they must have a very specific intermediate host, tapeworms cannot be transmitted directly from pet to pet or through contact with infected feces. Without a proper host, the tapeworm just can’t exist. It’s hard to imagine, but if your pet must have a parasite, the tapeworm may be the best of the pack. Of course that doesn’t mean we love them. We don’t. So let’s discuss how to get rid of them.

Dr. Henson advises that most over-the-counter worm treatments are not effective for tapeworms. He suggests you call your veterinarian to report your find. “Today’s treatment for tapeworms is simple and effective,” said Henson. “The medication we prescribe causes the tapeworm to lose its protective layer and it is simply digested. You will not see them pass, they just basically disappear.”

The most common medication prescribed is called Droncit® and it comes in the form of a chewable tablet that is apparently quite tasty to pets. Problem solved.

Oh, and in case you are worried, apparently humans rarely get tapeworms. It is possible that you could swallow a flea, and yes, you could get a tapeworm that way, but humans are more likely to come down with a species of tapeworm that is passed through raw or undercooked meat or fish. Just a little something to think about as you sit down to enjoy that next round of sushi or sashimi. Still rare, people. Don’t panic.

So all in all, while tapeworms are truly disgusting, on the scale of parasitic infections, they do rank as fairly harmless. Now take your new knowledge, go forth and watch your pet do number two. Your veterinarian is counting on you.

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Posted in All Past Articles, July 2011, Pet Health | No Comments »

Living the Good Life, Two Decades and Counting

posted March 15th, 2011 by

BY NANCY GALLIMORE WERHANE, CPDT-KA
PHOTOS BY BRENT CARLOW

IT’S A HOT TOPIC; aging gracefully while  living a happy, healthy life for as long as  possible. We all think about it, we all try this  vitamin, that exercise, and so-and-so’s diet  plan in an effort to keep the years rolling.

We also carry that responsibility for our  dogs. Conscientious dog parents spare no  expense to do whatever it takes to give Fido  or Fidette the longest, happiest, healthiest  life possible. For larger dogs, 10 to 12 years  was once considered a long life, yet thanks  to advances in diet and veterinary care, many  of our dogs are finding their way well into  their teens. I have personally been blessed to  have several dogs live to be 15 and 16 years  of age.

According  to an age comparison chart- the old standard of every dog year equaling  seven human years is not actually accurate-a  dog the size of my dear Dalmatian, Monte,  for example, would have been somewhere  around the equivalent of 95 years of age  when he passed away at age 15 years, seven  months. It was a lovely long time to have my  very special boy by my side.

Now meet Buddy, who was born May 24,  1991. Yes, you read that right. Meet him.

At nearly 20 years of age, Buddy, is not  only alive, but still going for walks, still social  and still enjoying every single day of his  amazingly long life.

According to owner Gail Carlow, Buddy’s  mom, Jessie, was an English setter that was  given to the family. “We got Jessie from a  man who raised hunting dogs,” said Gail. “Jessie was a couple of years old and the  breeder said that she was unable to have  puppies. We believed him, so did not worry  about spaying her.”

Apparently, Jessie had just not met  Mr. Right. Enter the neighbor’s Labrador  retriever. The rest of the story does not need  explanation. A couple of months later 15, yes  15, darling puppies were born.

“My boys latched on to little Buddy early  on. He was the only brown and white puppy  in the litter and he was one of the biggest  puppies.  When it came time to give the  puppies to new homes, the boys hid Buddy  in their room hoping Mom wouldn’t notice,”  Gail explained with a smile.

So, the little puppy was home to stay, but  no one could have imagined he would have  such a long stay. 

His visits to the veterinarian have been few  and far between and blessedly unremarkable. There was one unfortunate accident when  someone stole a young Buddy from the  family’s yard and then, when spotted, tossed  him from their moving car. The fall resulted  in a fractured hip, but with youth on his side,  Buddy recovered easily.

At age 17 he suffered a minor stroke that  gave the family a scare, but once again,  Buddy bounced back with no lingering  effects. Beyond those small bumps in the  road of life, Buddy has slowed with age and  has hearing loss, but has never suffered any  other health issues. So what is the secret to  Buddy’s longevity?

Well, I would love to be able to tell you  some magical diet plan or supplement that  Gail and her family discovered, but the truth  is, Buddy is just one lucky, sturdy guy who  apparently won the gene pool lottery.  He has  always eaten a normal, healthy dog food diet. He has been kept current on his vaccinations  and has had regular check-ups. Perhaps most importantly, Buddy has known nothing but the stability of a  devoted family.

According to Gail, that is the real secret to Buddy’s success-living  a happy life. “We have given him lots and lots of love and attention. He has always enjoyed being right with us, especially on weekend  trips to the lake.”

Buddy has also always maintained a healthy social life. In the days  before dog parks were popular, Buddy created his own circle of  friends.

“As a younger dog, he would sneak out of the yard late in the  afternoon to visit dogs all around a three block area,” laughs Gail. “He  would always come back home and bark at the door for us to let him  in.  If we didn’t get there as quickly as he thought we should, he would  jump up and hit the door bell, a trick he learned from his mom, Jessie.”

He has also always enjoyed-and yes, still does to this day-afternoon  romps in the neighborhood park with the family’s other dog, labrador  retriever Max. We can assume that regular exercise has played an  important part in Buddy’s healthy lifestyle, even though these days the  romps are a bit shorter and the ensuing naps a bit longer.

“He tries to keep up with Max when they are running around  the park, but afterward it’s straight back to the house to sleep. He  sleeps a lot of the time these days, but is still very happy-go-lucky,  affectionate and very much a part of our family,” says Gail.

According to Guinness World Records, the greatest reliable age  recorded for a dog is 29 years, 5 months for an Australian cattle dog  named Bluey, owned by Les Hall of Rochester, Victoria, Australia. Bluey  was obtained as a puppy in 1910 and worked among cattle and sheep  for nearly 20 years before being put to sleep on November 14, 1939.

More recently, a dachshund named Chanel was recorded by  Guinness as the oldest living dog until her death from natural causes a  few months past her 21st birthday in May 2009.

With the title of  oldest living dog up for  grabs, could Buddy be  a contender? Yes, he  most definitely could be  and perhaps the folks  at Guinness will come  knocking at the door  to undoubtedly disrupt  one of the senior dog’s  many naps.

Most importantly,  however, Buddy will  continue to hold the  title of most beloved  family dog with the  Carlows. Ask Gail to  describe Buddy in a  single sentence and  the answer is quick and  simple, “He is just the  best dog we could have ever asked for-period.”

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Posted in All Past Articles, General Interest, March 2011 | No Comments »

Did My Dog Just Cough?

posted January 15th, 2011 by

By NANCY GALLIMORE WERHANE, CPDT-KA

I just survived my first, and hopefully only, major cold of this winter season. It was a beauty. Cough, congestion, stuffy nose, laryngitis-the works. I did receive a good deal of sympathy for it, but nobody panicked. Nobody rushed me to the hospital. Now, give any one of those symptoms to a dog and stand back. Let a sweet-faced canine issue one wheeze and panic ensues. I am not making light of this phenomenon as I am as guilty as the rest of the dog moms and dads in this world.

So what is it that makes it so much worse when a dog comes down with a bug? Well, I think the first issue is that our dogs have a really hard time describing their symptoms and telling us where it hurts. That makes us all feel just a bit helpless because, well, our dogs depend on us to make everything ok. Then there’s the fear that if you ignore something now, it may well later-say midnight on any major holiday-turn into something that inspires a costly-though-we-wouldnever put-a-price-on-love trip to the emergency vet. And finally there are those darn puppy eyes. There is nothing more pitiful than seeing your normally bouncy, happy friend feeling anything less than bouncy and happy.

One of the most common ailments to strike our canine counterparts is often referred to as kennel cough. That name likely came about many years ago before our dogs had active social lives. Back when I was a kid, there were no dog parks or dog daycares (or cell phones or laptop computers, but that’s an entirely different story). If you did attend a group training class, it might be in the open air of the Fairgrounds parking lot and the dogs were not allowed to mingle.

Truth be told, the family dog rarely left home and if it did, it was probably for a trip to the vet, the groomer, or a stay at a boarding kennel. Since a boarding kennel was one of the few places where dogs came together, it was one of the primary places where dogs were exposed to germs. This is where most believe the name “kennel cough” was born.

Kennel cough, or today’s more “p.c.” term, canine cough, is most often characterized by a deep throated cough, which many dog owners describe as sounding as though the dog has something stuck in its throat. In print it looks something like this: Cough, cough, cough-hack. And the hack can include the expulsion of a foamy mucous. Words can paint such a pretty picture! The far harder to spell term your veterinarian will use is canine tracheitis or infectious tracheobronchitis. According to Dr. Lauren Johnson, of Southern Hills Veterinary Hospital in Tulsa, canine cough is a general term used to characterize a highly contagious cough that can be caused by one or several etiologic agents and can either be bacterial or viral.

Simply put, there isn’t just one cause for canine cough. Kennel cough, canine cough, infectious tracheobronchitis-whatever you decide to call it, the name is really an umbrella term used to cover a number of possible infectious agents.

Because today’s active canine has quite the social life compared to their ancestors from decades past -yes, even those distant 90s-exposure to other dogs and therefore challenges to the immune system happen on a far more regular basis. Dogs have play dates. They go to training schools, they visit dog daycare for group play and they go to the dog park. They play, they romp and they swap spit. There’s no way around it.

Just like kids going to school, germs go right along with them. Ask any teacher as a new semester of classes start up each fall and they’ll tell you they just brace for the new round of runny noses and sneezes to come. It’s basically inevitable. The price of socialization- which trainers and veterinarians will tell you is invaluable to the long term well-being of your dog-is possible exposure to disease. Of course this is why we vaccinate. We protect our dogs from contracting a lot of scary stuff. Parvovirus, distemper, rabies and other potentially devastating diseases are easily prevented with a proper series of vaccinations.

So for our social dogs there is the Bordetella vaccine, the one that stops canine cough. Problem solved, right? Well, yes and no. Go ahead, heave a collective sigh. The term Bordetella is derived from the name of a bacterium, Bordetella bronchiseptica, a chief causative agent in most cases of canine cough. “If you give your dog the Bordetella vaccine, either through nasal drops or injection, it will be protected from the particular strains in the vaccine itself, but not necessarily from all contagious coughs in general,” explains Dr. Johnson. “There are several things we don’t vaccinate for routinely that can cause the same contagious cough symptoms.”

“In addition, there are several variations of the Bordetella strains. Vaccines cannot include every strain. They can only contain the most common strains. Think about it like our flu vaccine. Some people receive this vaccine and still get sick.” So here’s how it goes, the infected dog sheds infectious bacteria and/or viruses in respiratory secretions. These secretions are then transmitted through the air via a cough or sneeze, or they are transmitted directly to another dog through nose-to-nose or mouthto mouth contact.

The tricky part for pet care professionals and owners alike is that a dog can have canine cough, but not yet be coughing or can even remain asymptomatic all together. That means a dog can come to the dog park, for example, play and act completely normal, but another dog may catch a bug from that dog and actually develop full symptoms.
So yes, your dog can be fully vaccinated and healthy as a horse, but still contract canine cough. Is this cause for panic? Should Fido live in a bubble? Well, of course not.

Take logical precautions. Do get the Bordetella vaccine. Even if it doesn’t totally protect your dog, it can help boost your dog’s immunity and hopefully lessen symptoms and duration of the infection if your dog does become ill.

If you plan to board your dog or take it to daycare, check the place out. You want to see plenty of space where there is good air circulation. You want to see that it is clean and you should feel free to ask about cleaning and disinfecting protocols.

Still, with all the precautions in the world, a dog can still catch canine cough at any facility where it comes in close proximity with other dogs. This includes a visit to your veterinarian, a walk through the animal supply store and a spa day at the groomer. It is not just limited to kennels.

So what do you do if your dog does give a little cough? According to Dr. Johnson, you should first isolate the affected dog from other dogs. That means no walks, no trips to the groomer, no training class, no daycare or dog park play. A mild case of canine cough will often go away on its own within seven to 10 days.

Does your dog need to see the veterinarian? It is never wrong to play it safe by seeking a professional opinion. You may first want to see if your dog is running a temperature. This can be easily accomplished through the use of a rectal thermometer and a little petroleum jelly. Yes, you really can do this. A normal temperature for a dog should range between 100.5 to 102.5 degrees.

If your pet’s coughing is excessive, accompanied by a fever, loss of appetite or any nasal discharge, you should call your veterinarian right away to have your dog assessed and to determine the proper course of treatment.
Antibiotics are not always necessary in the treatment of canine cough, just as they are not generally used in treating a mild cold in humans. “If the patient is a healthy dog with a mild cough, it is possible to forgo antibiotics and just treat with supportive care such as cough suppressants or possibly a steroid to reduce inflammation,” advises Dr. Johnson.
“However, if the patient is extremely young with a naive immune system, elderly, sickly or at risk of the infection progressing into pneumonia, then antibiotics may be necessary.”

“Mild cases of classic kennel cough are most often self-limiting. However, owners are often frustrated by the coughing, which can escalate at night and frequently disrupts everyone’s sleep, so at a very minimum we try to relieve symptoms.” Dr. Johnson further counsels that ideally, the affected dog should stay quarantined at home for up to 10 days beyond that last cough to prevent spreading the infection to other dogs. The good news is that in healthy dogs with uncompromised immune systems, it appears that regular socialization helps to build natural immunity to many of the common strains of canine cough. Yes, interaction with other dogs is still a good thing.

At the end of the day, if your dog develops a little cough, but is otherwise healthy and normal, it should come through the ordeal just fine. Perhaps we, the doting humans involved, should take two aspirin and then call the veterinarian in the morning.

Nancy Gallimore Werhane is a certified professional dog trainer, co-owner of Pooches dog care facility, Dalmatian fancier and rescue group coordinator.

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Posted in General Interest, January 2011, Pet Health | 1 Comment »

Homes for the Holidays

posted November 15th, 2010 by

STORY BY NANCY GALLIMORE WERHANE

THREE SPECIAL DOGS CELEBRATE THE SEASON IN SPECIAL NEW HOMES

It’s an age old question for pet lovers—do we choose our pets or do they choose us? In the case of three lucky Tulsa dogs and to the great delight of their new families, it’s pretty obvious the latter is true. These are three very different dogs, but with a little twist of circumstance that brings them together. Each is a dog that might seem unadoptable by some standards, but each is now well-loved and unaware that they are any different from any other pooch.

Molly
A young Australian Shepherd mix, the first thing that strikes you when you meet Molly is how beautiful she is. Her bright blue eyes and her shiny merle coat are captivating and, at the same time, a clue to her hidden handicap. Dogs with piebald or merle markings are often prone to hereditary deafness. Statistically, Dalmatians are the leaders of this pack, but any type of dog displaying these traits can be affected.

Molly’s owner, Melissa Ward, was not really in the market for a new dog. On the day she found Molly, she was just out for a day at the Riverwalk with her Dalmatian, Maggie. They were attending Woofstock, a fun event sponsored by Oklahoma Alliance for Animals featuring entertainment, vendor booths, pet care providers and, of course, rescue organizations with animals for adoption.

Ward was making her way through the various attractions when she came upon the Tulsa Humane Society booth and spotted a beautiful puppy, quietly chewing a bone in her crate. Immediately drawn to the pup, Ward then learned the dog was deaf. One of the volunteers told her that the pup had been adopted and returned three times by people unwilling to cope with a bouncy deaf puppy. She immediately knew she wanted to adopt the puppy.

“I knew that it would take a lot of patience to be the owner of this dog and I have plenty,” said Ward. “It’s really more of an adjustment for me than it is for her. She has no idea that there is anything different about her.”

Ward immediately began looking up information on how to train a deaf dog and found some hand signals for common cues such as sit, lay down and stay. “Within five minutes she learned sit and I knew I had a smart dog.”

As the dog settled into her new home, Ward noticed that Molly seemed to have a bit of trouble with her vision. A visit to a veterinary eye specialist revealed that in addition to her deafness, Molly does not see well at a distance, has no peripheral vision in her left eye and does not see well at night. This news did not make Ward regret her decision to adopt Molly one bit.

A little time spent with Molly proves that she doesn’t give her handicaps a second thought.

The little dog is happy, bouncy and extremely goodnatured. She loves to greet new people and she is a great player at the dog park and at Pooches, her dog daycare. Molly now has a future as bright as her pretty blue eyes.

“Because Molly is a dog with special needs, I adjusted to help her and in return I couldn’t imagine my life without her,” said Ward. “We’re one big happy family—Melissa, Maggie and Molly.”

Hogan
The cute Schnauzer was surrendered to Pet Adoption League (PAL) by his former owners. Life as an outsideonly dog combined with a lack of proper care resulted in a little dog with injuries and serious health issues. When received by PAL, Hogan had a large infected gash on top of his head, was found to be positive for heartworms, was overweight and, at age five, had yet to be neutered. Oh, and he also happens to be missing a front leg.

Well, missing is not quite an accurate description. Hogan’s leg is there, but malformed and very stunted—an obvious birth defect. However the malformed appendage was not really a concern. PAL’s first priority in caring for their new foster dog was to address the infected cut, caused by a bite from a former yard-mate, and also to begin the long treatment to rid the little dog of the deadly heartworms. Hogan’s road to being a viable candidate for adoption was going to be a long one.

Amy Hoagland, an active volunteer with PAL, agreed to care for Hogan during his three month heartworm treatment. The shy, but exceptionally sweet dog integrated easily with the other dogs in the Hoagland household and immediately won over Hoagland’s husband, Tim.

Hoagland said she liked little Hogan too, though she had to overcome a few of his bad habits before he truly won a spot in her home. “Hogan had never been taught not to mark inside the house so it took some time to train him, but I fell for him pretty quickly despite his little learning curve.”

Once his heartworm treatment was complete, the Hoaglands decided Hogan needed to become a permanent resident. “Tim and I just really felt that we could provide him the kind of home he truly deserves,” said Hoagland. “We can guarantee he will never have to live outdoors again and he will always receive the love and care he needs and deserves.”

As for his handicap, the Hoaglands initially thought the little three-legged dog would need special accommodations. To eliminate any obstacles for Hogan, the couple constructed ramps where there were stairs in the house and yard, though they quickly found their efforts were unnecessary. Hogan ignores the ramps and climbs up and down the steps with ease. The ramps remain in place in case he needs them as he ages, but for now, he gets around just fine. “When he ‘zooms’ he is very quick,” Hoagland adds with a laugh.

The little dog with a “flipper” for a leg might as well be a famous show dog in the eyes of his new family. “He now has a beautiful coat, which is changing colors to a lighter brown. He has the sweetest eyes and is so very loving. He wants to please all the time. He is the biggest momma’s boy you’ll ever meet!” exclaims Hoagland.

“He is a perfect little dog and we love him. He is happy and definitely in his forever home.”

Tink
One day last summer I received a call from my partner, Jim Thomason. “Can you meet me to help try to catch a little stray dog?” he questioned and my answer was, of course, an immediate yes.

I joined Jim to peer at a little cattle dog mix pup that appeared to be living under a dumpster behind a strip mall. The dumpster in question was a huge compacting dumpster that the little dog could squeeze under, staying well out of reach. According to store employees, the dog had lived there for around six weeks and would not let any of them near it.

Our first visit made it clear that we were not going to see immediate success either. So we started daily visits to gain the little dog’s trust. We spent hours talking to her, offering food and fresh water to our little “Dumpster Dog,” as she was initially known.

After a few days we could hear that her nose was very congested and we worried for her health. Finally, seven days after discovering the hiding pup, Jim very patiently stretched out on the pavement, as far under the dumpster as he could get, and just waited.

Thirty minutes had passed when he finally felt a small nose sniffing the top of his head. He remained very still while Dumpster Dog cautiously checked him out and then finally settled on the ground next to him. He slowly started to pet her and the deal was sealed. Dumpster Dog was no longer on her own.

We made an immediate visit to the vet and started a course of antibiotics to hopefully cure a suspected upper respiratory infection. Despite her ordeal and her apparent illness, the once shy stray emerged a funny, playful, outgoing little dog that immediately endeared herself to us.

After a 10 day course of antibiotics failed to cure her congestion, we found why she may have been abandoned. Dumpster Dog, now dubbed Tink, had her nose scoped by a local veterinarian. The procedure revealed that her nasal passages were almost completely blocked by what appeared to be scar tissue. Our veterinarian then referred us to a surgical specialist in Oklahoma City.

There, a CT scan showed that sweet Tink had suffered a severely broken nose, likely as a very young puppy. Her soft pallet was almost an inch out of place and her nasal passages had healed back improperly—affecting her ability to breathe through her nose. An expensive surgical procedure offered the only hope for helping Tink breathe normally.

Now, several months later, our very expense “free” dog still snores like a fog horn. While surgery may have improved her air passages to some extent, she still can’t breathe well through her nose causing her to always sound congested. That means we have to be careful to see that Tink does not overheat in the summer, we have to watch her carefully if she decides to go for a swim in the pond and we will likely always battle sinus infections.

The one thing we will never worry about is Tink’s future. We are 100% head over heels for this tenacious little dog and will happily provide the care she needs for the rest of her life. She repays us with her unwavering spunk and ability to make us laugh every single day.

Three dogs. Three special lives.

This is a story of three very special little dogs and three families who consider themselves very lucky to have them. These dogs’ stories have very happy endings. They are proof positive that imperfections are in the eyes of the beholder. These three dogs, and others like them, have much to offer. Hopefully Molly, Hogan and Tink can serve as poster-pups for other “handicapable” dogs also in need of great homes for holidays to come.

Posted in All Past Articles, General Interest, Holiday 2010 | No Comments »

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