Trick or Treaters at the Door Can Drive Your Dog Batty

           
        
           It's the time of year of colorful leaves, cool, crisp air and chocolate and candy dispensed from every doorway one night of the season. Halloween is a fun excuse for us to get dressed up in silly costumes. It's also a time for some of our animal family members to wear outfits and regalia that they wouldn't normal be forced to endure. My dog, Marty McFly, has many outfits but only one Halloween costume. Every October 31^st a 16 pound mopey-looking pterodactyl shows up for Halloween festivities. Marty rarely finds the humor in the situation, but he tolerates it.

 

          Halloween brings with it some risks that all pet owner's should know about. Many people know that chocolate is toxic to dogs. Please be conscientious when it comes to the trick-or-treat treasures which your children bring home. Chocolate toxicity is based on weight of the pet and amount and type of chocolate ingested. A small amount of milk chocolate may have no effect on a 50 pound Labrador, but that same amount given to a 5 pound Yorkshire terrier may have significant consequences. Clinical signs such as vomiting, diarrhea, increased heart rate, seizures or death may occur. Generally, the darker the chocolate the more dangerous it is - less of a dose is needed before you'll see symptoms. For instance, milk chocolate is not as toxic as dark baking chocolate.

 

          If your dog does manage to get chocolate this holiday it's best to contact your veterinarian right away to discuss whether or not inducing vomiting is the right thing to do. Oftentimes hydrogen peroxide given orally can bring up the chocolate (and other stomach contents) in an urgent situation. However, be aware that inducing vomiting carries with it a risk of getting vomit going back down the “wrong tube” and can cause aspiration and pneumonia.

 

          Some dogs have learned through their life experiences to bark and carry on every time the doorbell rings or someone is visiting. This can cause another Halloween-related hazard when you have multiple mini-goblins, vampires and superheros ringing your doorbell asking for candy every few minutes. This can not only be annoying to owners and guests alike it can also be non-stop anxiety for your pooch. Keeping Fido otherwise occupied in another room, opting out of candy distribution all together or sitting outside the house to give out candy so no one rings the bell or knocks may all decrease this anxiety. Some dogs have such high anxiety about little goblins at your door that they may take the opportunity to defend you and your property. This is not a good thing if the little goblins are innocent children enjoying the holiday and are attacked by scared housepets.

 

          Some pets are known to make a break for it when given an opportunity of a distracted owner and an open door. Keeping all escape artists confined and away from the door is an excellent way to decrease the likelihood of a runaway while you are handing out candy.

 

          This Halloween be aware of the risks associated with the holiday. Chocolate, ringing doorbells, and open doors are all part of the festivities of the holiday, however, they can lead to problems with your pets. So keep your tiny pterodactyls and the mini-goblins safe by being aware of the hazards of the holiday.

 

 

By Dr. Marisa Tong

My Van Wert County Summer Camp

 

                  

          Most would call it the Van Wert County Fair. But when I entered the Junior Fair Board office that Tuesday evening to begin my duties as fair veterinarian, and saw my old friends, Paul, Heather, and Nick, already busy at work,  I was overcome with a feeling that this must be what it’s like to go to summer camp, an experience I never had as a kid.

            Paul Pohlman is the vocational agriculture teacher at Crestview High School, Heather Gottke is Program Coordinator for 4-H Development at OSU Extension, and Nick Wolford is a Junior Fair Board advisor. Until a couple of fairs ago, now retired Lincolnview vo-ag teacher, Tony Campbell, was the fourth member of the quartet. For the past few years, I’ve had the pleasure of spending the week leading up to Labor Day watching them work with the county’s youth in putting on a superb junior fair. In addition to their own jobs, they also help me with mine.

            As a fair veterinarian my responsibilities are two-fold. First is to maintain the health of all the animals on the fairgrounds, except the racehorses- another veterinarian, Dr. Kessen, cares for them. Secondly, I’m directed by the Ohio Department of Agriculture to collect hair and urine samples from the champion and reserve champion market steer, hog, and lamb. The purpose of this is to ensure that no banned substances, including antibiotics, hormones, or anti-inflammatories, enter the food chain.

            This year, however, I almost turned down the gig. A bit of a neck problem, the result of age and accumulated large animal mishaps, left me with some coordination and mobility issues. I didn’t feel I was up to the task. And I wasn’t. As it turned out, though, I didn’t have to be. I received a lot of support, not just from Paul, Heather, and Nick, but from virtually everyone I encountered.

            Fortunately, this year there were no major health matters to deal with, unlike 2013 when we had the swine influenza scare. There were, however, several sick calves with respiratory infections. But the cattle people were especially accommodating of my condition, and even though some of the calves were close to six-hundred pounds in weight, their owners secured them in such a way that I was never in danger. Happily, the treatments were successful and their recoveries uneventful.

            As for the sample collecting, normally my wife helps me. Bonnie will follow one of the champions as soon as they are chosen, and I’ll follow the other. A missed opportunity to catch urine could mean a wait for hours until the next chance. To collect from the steers isn’t much of a problem. To collect from the pigs and lambs, on the other hand, often requires quick, athletic moves -  moves I just didn’t have any more. Luckily, Amanda Lobsiger, former goat princess and now veterinary assistant at our hospital, provided those moves for me, and she did an excellent job.

            For completeness sake, Bonnie insisted that I tell of her exploit. Apparently, as the champion pig was picked he began to urinate. Bonnie, on the other side of the ring, raced over and practically made a diving catch of the stream. Although I didn’t see it, from the reaction of the crowd and Paul’s high-five, it must have been spectacular.

            The pigs even cooperated for the hair collection. Historically, this has been our most challenging mission. To clip enough hair from a hog to fill the sample cup isn’t easy, especially if the hog doesn’t feel obliging. After all the urine was collected, both hogs, apparently exhausted from the show, laid down to nap, unbothered by the clippers as we carried forth with our depilating assignment.

            Forty hours after I said good-bye to my three fair amigos, I was on a surgery table at Cleveland Clinic’s Lutheran Hospital. One of my last thoughts before the journey to “la la land” was of the fair. I was so grateful to be able to participate this year, and even prayed I’d make it back in 2016.  

            I guess it’s pretty safe to say that I love the Van Wert County Fair. To me it falls under the category of “the way things should be,” and has provided more happy memories than any summer camp ever could.  If you’ve never been, I suggest you come next year and enjoy the fair. I’ll see you there.

 

By Dr. John H. Jones

 

 

Calming the Anxious Pet When Thunder Rolls

                                                       

Reflecting back, my first memory of a family pet was when I was six years old and we had a collie mix named Dusty.  My next recollection is returning home one dark, stormy night to find Dusty pacing liking a caged lion on the patio roof of our garage.  When we departed that evening, Dusty was in the house.  How and why was he on the roof when we returned?

Fast forward more decades than I care to admit, and I now know how and why Dusty was on the roof. Dusty had storm anxiety, a phobia that many pets experience.  In my current pet family, Border Collie “Jimmy James Jones” has grown more than a little anxious when the wind picks up and thunder rolls.

If we are in bed when the weather turns ominous, we are certain to be body-slammed by a 50 pound sheep dog that plants himself on us in Marmaduke fashion, eyes wild with fear, tongue hanging from his mouth, panting mercilessly.  If a storm strikes during waking hours, Jimmy nosedives under a bed, or assumes the best fetal position he can in the most secluded spot in the house. Sound familiar??

Not only is Jimmy storm-phobic, he also has a fear of loud sounds. Fireworks are never a joy for him and our neighbor’s target shooting always sends him scurrying to the door to get back inside.  And, as is the case in my own family, other pets in the household may pick up on the anxious pet’s behavior and take on the phobia as well.  Jimmy’s Corgi sister, “Betsy Louise,” now displays mild anxiety as well when thunder rumbles.

So, what can you do if your pet is afraid of storms or has a fear of loud sounds? As always, prevention is best.  If at all possible, expose your pet to loud sounds it may encounter as an adult, during its socialization period (9 to 16 weeks of age for dogs, and 2-12 weeks for cats). 

If your pet is acting fearful during its socialization period when it hears loud sounds, use what I call a “jolly up routine.”  Lighten your tone of voice as soon as your pet shows any sign of anxiety and act silly!  With your squirrelly-girlie voice and a smile on your face say “Isn’t this fun! We’re having a good time! Yeah!” Act as playful as you can to change your pet’s focus.  As soon as it’s apparent that your pet is transitioning from anxiety to play, reward it with a treat, petting, or by playing with a favorite toy.

When your pet shows a hint of storm anxiety, you should try the same “jolly up” approach, being careful not to reinforce the fearful behavior by coddling your pet with excessive verbal or physical reassurance.  In fact, ignoring the anxiety behavior entirely is often the best approach. 

Bear in mind your pet will often know a storm is approaching before you do, either because it senses a change in barometric pressure, the smell of rain or the sound of thunder. If you know bad weather is in the forecast, consider employing the following comfort measures well BEFORE the storm arrives:

1)      Place your pet in a familiar room that lacks windows. Turn on a radio or television to provide white noise that is louder than the thunder.

2)      Consider using a compression shirt (“Thunder Shirt”) for cats and dogs to ease your pet’s anxiety. The pressure of the shirt elicits a calming effect, much like swaddling a baby.

3)      Apply a dog-appeasing pheromone called DAP, first found in lactating females, that is available in collar and spray form.  A similar pheromone called Feliway is based on catnip and may work for anxious cats.  Feliway is available as a spray, diffuser, or wipe.  Both pheromones may provide a calming effect for your pet.

Please discuss your pet’s behavioral issues and phobias with your veterinarian. She can give you a treatment plan to help you and your pet cope. This plan may include calming drug therapy initially while you begin behavior modifications that will be more natural and enduring.

As for Dusty who chewed and scratched his way out of the house to where he thought he would be safe from the storm, his was a rude awakening when he was actually out in the middle of the storm. On the other hand, Jimmy, the smart Border Collie, figured out that seeking a hiding spot that blocks out sound and lightning is a better way to go.  


By Dr. Bonnie Jones