Dogs, like people, can have allergies that flare up in the spring and summer (even fall for some sufferers). What can a pet parent do to help alleviate the scratching, licking and self-chewing which affected dogs do – sometimes non-stop?

First: Have a vet check the dog for allergies. Just scolding him for the behavior will not address the cause. You need to find out what he is allergic to. Then treat it. If the behavior continues after treatment, it may have become a habit you need to address behaviorally.

Second: Identify other stressors in your dog’s life. The chewing, licking behavior can also be caused by other types of stress. List the things you know that stress the dog, even a little bit. Then, one-by-one, eliminate or work to alleviate the stressor. After discarding the items, such as aversive behavior aids (shock collars, etc.), begin to de-sensitize your dog to stimuli that freak him out – Children, skate boards and thunder come to mind. You can teach him that these threatening sights and sounds can become signals for treats.

Third: Exercise him. Walking, running and playing hard help to burn energy and take his mind off his troubles. It also releases “feel-good” hormones that help to lessen stress. Mind exercises help, too. Shaping (training), interactive toys and puzzles can also help.

Fourth: Try stress-reducing products, like calming classical music made especially for dogs; Thundershirt or Anxiety Wrap help some dogs feel safer and calmer; Pheromone therapies come in a plug-in and spray and work to calm the dog by mimicking the smell of a mother dog.

Fifth: If the chewing, licking, scratching behavior has become a habit, consult your vet about anti-anxiety medication – or to recommend a behaviorist/dog trainer. Most dog trainers have not had actual behavior training. You want a behaviorist.

If all these efforts fail, you and your dog just may have to live with it. We all have stress in our lives and some of us are just more sensitive to it than others.

Just like people, fat pets are at higher risk of health problems like diabetes, bad joints and a shortened lifespan. Pets at a healthy weight enjoy their lives more, are more active and live longer.

How to Tell If Your Pet Is Overweight

Here are ways to identify and correct obesity in your dog or cat.

It’s not always easy to tell if your dog or cat is overweight, especially if he or she has a long coat. Consult your vet, if necessary to find out what your pet should weigh. In the meantime, here are some tell-tale signs.

• Look for a tucked tummy. When you view your pet from the side, does its belly tuck up into the area between his ribs and hindquarters? That’s where you want it. You don’t want it to sag below his ribcage, or even hang on a straight line with his ribcage. For furry pets, wrap a thin cloth around their torso in order to see their shape.
• Feel his ribs. Position yourself over your standing pet. Reach down and feel its ribs. You should be able to feel them easily, with only a slight layer of fat. You should be able to feel each individual rib.
• Look for a “waist.” With your pet still standing, look at him from above. You should be able to see a definite waist between his ribcage and his hindquarters.

Be alert to physical signs. Fat pets, especially dogs, might have difficulty jumping onto couches or beds. Or they may show labored breathing after climbing the stairs or walking up a hill. The very obese pet may even have trouble getting its feet.

Help Your Pet Maintain Its Ideal Weight

Again, just like people, pets need a healthy lifestyle to main their ideal weight.

• Change the way you feed him. Cut back on the number of treats you offer your pet, and/or offer smaller pieces. Better yet, treat them with small carrots or pieces of apple (No grapes, raisins or onions as they can be toxic to your pet). Monitor your pet’s weight and adjust until you reach the balance that is right for your pet. Do not free-feed (leave food out for the pet to nibble on all day). Some animals can handle free-feeding without weight problems. Most cannot.
• Gradually increase your pet’s exercise. If you are not exercising your pet, you’re not only letting him down, you are missing out on a great bonding experience. Start now. Play fetch with your dog or take him to the dog park and be sure he runs and plays with the other dogs. Most dogs won’t exercise themselves when put out in a yard alone. Taking your dog out for walks also gets in your exercise. Start slowly – regular exercise is much better than high-energy workouts once in awhile. As he becomes more fit, begin to gradually increase his exercise intensity and duration. Cats need exercise too, though they may act like they couldn’t care less. Sometimes you need to trick them into it. Laser lights and wind-up toys they can chase across the floor, and tall cat trees they can climb are all things you can try with your cat. The main thing is to get her moving. Go slowly; a cat’s interest span is shorter than a dog’s. Use your imagination and before you know it, you and your kitty will be having a great time playing together – in other words, exercising!

Kira lives, along with her “sister” Samantha, with their pet parents, Susan and Tony. Kira is a small, beautiful, friendly Manx.

Samantha is larger and gorgeous with long white hair and brown spots. We have taken care of the two of them several times. Their litter is kept in two boxes in an upstairs bathroom. They eat separately downstairs in the kitchen. All had been going well. When Susan called for a booking date in late October she mentioned that Kira had been having “accidents” in the living room, downstairs. She couldn’t understand it because Kira has always been so well behaved.

I suggested she have her vet check Kira to be sure there were no health issues. She came back with a clean bill of health. During the Thanksgiving visits, Kira, indeed, did indeed leave several “gifts” (both urine and excrement) in the living room.

Samantha usually makes herself scarce when we come in to feed them and clean the litter boxes. During these visits, she did not show her beautiful fluffy face, but we did not think too much of it. She usually hides under the bed in the master bedroom. Then, we realized that Samantha had not been coming downstairs to eat. We began taking her food and water upstairs for her.

It occurred to me then that “the girls” were having some kind of spat. I thought that Kira was not going upstairs and Samantha was not coming downstairs. They had gotten along for years, but for some reason seemed to be having a problem now. I mentioned this to Susan and Tony upon their return and suggested they leave a litter box downstairs for Kira for a few days to see if that helped the situation.

When we visited again in late December, Susan reported that placing the extra litter box downstairs seemed to work. Kira had not had any more accidents in the living room. And we saw no signs of wavering during that entire two-week visit.

I checked with Susan to get her permission to write this story and here is how she responded:

“Hi, Andee. I still use it.  They both seem to love it downstairs–especially Kira. I take it out and put it in the entry area of the living room when we go to bed and leave it out in the early am until after they are fed.  Kira will sometimes use it after she eats.  Once she uses it in the am I clean it and put it back in the garage.

She has had 2 “accidents” (only poop not urine) since I started using it in as per your suggestion back in late October.  My house doesn’t work to keep a downstairs one all the time but this is fine with us.

Thanks for the advice and yes write about it as it might help someone else.”

All of these stories are from “Healthy Pets and other creatures great and small,” compiled by Ginny Vaughn and Betsy McMahan, Copyright © 2001.

Dog Story from Mary Kaczor

“Duke is our 12 year old, very loved, yellow Lab. In the past nine months, his joints have gotten progressively stiffer. Getting up and down steps is difficult. In the morning, he could hardly get up. We started giving him 8 Alfalfa and 2 Osteokinetics per day. After two months, he was going up and down steps with ease and getting right up in the morning!

Within the last six months we also noticed he was panting from the slightest exertion. I started calling him the Pink Panter! This panting had nothing to do with his being hot or thirsty, he just panted all the time. He only stopped when was asleep. We started giving him 1 Vita-Lea a day. After a few weeks, my husband commented, “Duke isn’t panting anymore. It has to be the Vita-Lea!” It’s amazing! Thanks to Shaklee, I think we may be blessed with Duke for a few more wonderful years.”

Cat Story from Lynn Toney

“Schaltzie’s short black hair, once thick and shiny, was thin and scraggly, with scaly, itchy lesions on the skin of his back, stomach and legs. It looked like mange. Schaltzie, 16, constantly licked, itched and scratched, often breaking the skin open. Advice and medicine from the vet did not help. I began giving Shaltzie Instant Protein 2 x a day. Within several days he seemed happier and friskier than I’d seen him in ages. His hair started growing back in the bald spots and the itching seemed less severe. His skin cleared up quickly.

For years, Schaltzie had fibrous fatty tumors. One day after we’d started Shaklee products, I was petting him and accidentally hit one of those very large, hard lumps and witnessed a strange sight. On top of the bump was a tiny hole. It looked like a worm was trying to come out. The more I  pressed around the lump, stiff material curled up out. It was like paste. I washed the wound with Basic-H and water. I continued this process and in 2 days, that lump was gone. In a week, all the lumps were gone. I was SO amazed. Much time, money and trouble had been spent in vain over the years. Shaklee products took care of the problem with a few weeks. If I had been giving the animals Shaklee products from the beginning, we probably would not have had all the problems in the first place.

As animals age, they tend to lose weight and interest in life. I kept Schaltzie on the Protein and Liqui-Lea and, periodically, Herb-Lax for the rest of his life. He gained weight and had a skip in his step until his death several years later.”

Vet Gives Personal Testimonial from Molly C. Spicuzza, DVM, White Lake, MI

“This is a personal testimonial about the wonderful Basic-G germicidal cleaner. Two employees at my clinic were very sensitive to chemical odors. When we began using Basic-G, there were no more complaints of headaches from chemical fumes. Basic-G is also a great cleaner. The kennel help finds it removes dried blood better than any product we have used. The clinic also uses Basic-G in the mop bucket to disinfect the floors throughout the day.

I personally use Basic-H (now Basic H²) to wash my hands between patients. In the past my hands have been dry, red, and cracked from washing with harsh soaps. Basic-H doesn’t strip the natural protective coating from one’s skin. The dry, cracked skin has healed.

I’ve been using Shaklee’s nutritional products to help animals with allergies and hip dysplasia and been happy with the results. I’ve been using Osteokintetics(now Joint Health Complex) to help dogs with osteoarthritis with good results. It’s the best glucosamine product on the market, and is less expensive than any comparable veterinary product. It’s worked better than I expected in dogs with hip dysplasia. The recommended dose of Osteokinetics(Joint Health Complex) for dogs is as follows: Less than 25 pounds – 1 x day, 25 to 50 pounds -1(capsule) 2 x day, 50 pounds and over – 2 in the AM, 1 in the PM.

Note: The parentheses are mine.

These are just a few of the stories I have. If you have a specific problem, contact me and I will see what others have found as helpful and get back to you.

My life will probably last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is a mystery to me.

10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can’t bear to watch. Don’t make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.

Take a moment today to appreciate your pets. Enjoy them, love them, and take good care of them. Life would be much duller and much less joyful without God’s critters.
 We do not have to wait for Heaven,  to be surrounded by hope, love, and joyfulness. It is here on earth and has four legs!

By-Products

• Can include ANY part of ANY animal
• Not fit for human consumptions

Beet Pulp or Peanut Shells

• No nutritional value
• Added to create firm stools
• Can cause dehydration

Menadione (vitamin K3)

• Synthetic & cheaper vitamin
• Can cause liver & kidney damage
• May appear as “dimethylprimidinol sulfate”

Ethoxyquin

• Artificial preservative
• Banned from human consumption
• Considered a pesticide by the
  Department of Agriculture

BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole )

• Artificial preservative
• Listed as a chemical hazard by OSHA
• Linked to causing cancer in humans

BHT  (Butylated Hydroxytoluene)

• Artificial preservative
• Listed as a chemical hazard by OSHA
• Linked to causing cancer in humans

Soy Products other than Shaklee

• Inferior protein
• Difficult for pets to digest

NOTE: Shaklee soy protein is water washed and retains all its original nutrients and isoflavones, is highly bioavailable and is an excellent source of protein.

Hulls (mill run)

• Waste part of the grain that is left after the more nutritional “meat” of the grain has been removed

Animal Fat

• Doesn’t identify WHAT type of animal fat
• Could be anything other than beef, pork, chicken or lamb

Appetite Stimulant

• Chemicals sprayed or mixed with food to stimulate the pet to eat more
• And to eat what its nose might otherwise tell it not too