LITTER ANNOUNCEMENT…DM CLEAR PUPPIES NEW YEARS 2011

WENDT WORTH CORGIS DM CLEAR LITTER

To learn more about this litters sire and dam…please visit our website by clicking the picture.

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AKC Meet the Breeds…Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America WINS Grand Prize

Congratulations to the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America who took home the grand prize of $500 for winning the Best Booth in Show award. In addition to the Best Booth in show award, there were first place awards given to the best booth in each group. Click on any image below to launch a slideshow of the winning booths.

AKC Meet the Breeds with a slideshow

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Fred Meyer Jewelers Supports HSUS – letters needed!

Any size letter will do!!

PR NEWSWIRE Press Release shows yet another way HSUS continues their quest to deceive pet lovers, while making millions.  Just as with the Yellow Tail Wine episode, we need to write them letters, call, forward to all others, send to Facebook, Twitter, etc, and send them a Christmas message that you certainly will NOT be buying Christmas or any other gifts from Fred Myers, as long as they continue to support extremist animal rights organizations who’s underlying goal is actually “no animal use.”

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fred-meyer-jewelers-introduces-pawsitively-yours-a-pet-inspired-jewelry-collection-to-celebrate-our-furry-friends-106982783.html

Fred Meyer Contacts, includes email form and 800-number: http://www.fredmeyerjewelers.com/Marketing/ContactUs.aspx (I sent mine to the subjects “Product Inquiry”, “Testimonials” and “Press Inquiries”)  There is an automated response but you CAN leave your phone # for them to contact you, if you like.

PS, it probably wouldn’t hurt to contact PR Newswire, as well.

Send to VP of Public Relations, Rachel Meranus: rachel.meranus@prnewswire.com

My letters to them simply included copies of what I sent to Fred Meyer, asking them to do some real investigative reporting.

They want a few places to look up facts about what you are telling them?

Here are a few suggestions you can add to your already-growing list of anti-animal rights websites:

Excellent synopsis, tell them to click on all the links here:  http://www.ncraoa.com/HSUS.html

Here are some quotes, straight from the “horse’s” mouths: http://www.ncraoa.com/HSUS_quotes.html

More:

There are literally 2 dozen talking points you can use in your contact
letter.

Handouts from Mofed (http://www.thealliancefortruth.com/#)  and the great HumaneWatch.org. ads:(http://humanewatch.org/index.php/ads/)

(this includes the “7 Things You Didn’t Know About HSUS”)

Frank Losey’s handout is also excellent and includes a lot of talking
points about the RICO act lawsuit against HSUS and the IRS investigation.
http://www.mofed.org/Hand-outs-Printable-info.htm

Other talking points you could include would be:

The Pang civil rights lawsuit against HSUS.
http://humanewatch.org/index.php/documents/detail/norman_pang_lawsuit_against_hsus_employees/

The Christensen civil rights lawsuit against HSUS.
http://humanewatch.org/index.php/documents/detail/federal_lawsuit_against_hsus_et_al_filed_by_south_dakota_dog_breeder_d/

The Malott case involving her filing a complaint with the FBI over
HSUS’s violation of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act.
http://humanewatch.org/index.php/site/post/AETA_HSUS_Malott/

Have fun! HSUS needs to be objected to, wherever they raise their
heads. Just remember, keep your letter/email polite and factual.

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Hip Dysplasia Susceptibility in Dogs May Be Underreported, According to Penn Vet Comparative Study

A study comparing a University of Pennsylvania method for evaluating a dog’s susceptibility to hip dysplasia to the traditional American method has shown that 80 percent of dogs judged to be normal by the traditional method are actually at risk for developing osteoarthritis and hip dysplasia, according to the Penn method.

The results indicate that traditional scoring of radiographs that certify dogs for breeding underestimate their osteoarthritis susceptibility. The results are of clinical importance to several populations, most notably veterinarians, breeders and pet owners.

The two hip screening methods — the standard Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, or OFA model, and Penn Vet’s PennHIP model — were applied to a sample of 439 dogs older than 2 years. The four most common breeds included in the study were German shepherds, Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers and Rottweilers, all breeds commonly susceptible to hip dysplasia.

According to Penn researchers, even if breeders were to selectively breed only those dogs having OFA-rated “excellent” hips — the highest ranking but in some breeds, a very small gene pool, the study suggests that 52-100 percent of the progeny, depending on breed, would be susceptible to hip dysplasia based on the Penn Vet scoring method.

“We believe the lower rates of hip laxity detection using the OFA methods are not the fault of the expert radiologist reading the radiograph but rather a deficiency of the radiographic view,” said veterinary surgeon Gail Smith, professor of orthopaedic surgery, lead author and director of the PennHIP Program. “We believe many veterinarians are not using the best test to control a disease. In many ways this is an animal-welfare issue.”

The findings point to a weakness in current breeding practices. If breeders continue to select breeding candidates based upon traditional scores, then, according to the Penn study, breeders will continue to pair susceptible dogs and fail to improve hip quality in future generations. Despite well intentioned hip-screening programs to reduce the frequency of the disease, canine hip dysplasia continues to have a high prevalence worldwide with no studies showing a significant reduction in disease frequency using mass selection.

Canine hip dysplasia, or CHD, is defined by the radiographic presence of hip joint laxity or osteoarthritis with hip subluxation (laxity) early in life. A developmental disease of complex inheritance, it is one of the most common orthopaedic diseases in large and giant-breed dogs and causes pain and loss of mobility.

The traditional OFA screening method relies heavily on conventional hip-extended, or HE, radiographs, which the study contends do not provide critical information needed to accurately assess passive hip joint laxity and therefore osteoarthritis susceptibility.

“We suspect that all hip-screening systems worldwide based on the HE radiograph have similar diagnostic deficiencies,” Smith said. “Hopefully, our results will motivate veterinarians and breeders to consider this newer approach.”

To achieve genetic control of CHD, researchers said, an accurate test must minimize false-negative diagnoses which mistakenly permit the breeding of dogs that carry genes coding for CHD. Particularly for a late-onset disease such as CHD, dogs remaining in the gene pool must not only be free of obvious signs of CHD at the time of evaluation (2 years of age for OFA) but ideally should not be susceptible to the osteoarthritis of CHD that occurs later in life.

The PennHIP method quantifies hip laxity using the distraction index, or DI, metric which ranges from a low of .08 to greater than 1.5. Smaller numbers mean better hips. The PennHIP DI has been shown in several studies at multiple institutions to be closely associated with the risk of osteoarthritis and canine hip dysplasia. It can be measured as early as 16 weeks of age without harm to the puppy.

Specifically, the PennHIP method considers a DI of less than .3 to be the threshold below which there is a near zero risk to develop hip osteoarthritis later in life. In contrast, dogs having hip laxity with DI higher than .3 show increasing risk to develop hip osteoarthritis, earlier and more severely, as the DI increases.

Comparing the overall results of the study, 52 percent of OFA-rated “excellent,” 82 percent of OFA-rated “good” and 94 percent of OFA-rated “fair” hips all fell above the PennHIP threshold of .3, making them all susceptible to the osteoarthritis of CHD though scored as “normal” by the OFA. Of the dogs the OFA scored as “dysplastic,” all had hip laxity above the PennHIP threshold of .3, meaning there was agreement between the two methods on dogs showing CHD or the susceptibility to CHD.

The key feature of the PennHIP radiographic method is its ability to determine which dogs may be susceptible to osteoarthritis later in life. Because dogs are recognized as excellent models for hip osteoarthritis in humans, the authors are interested in the prospect of applying this technology to humans. Knowing a dog’s risk for osteoarthritis early would allow veterinarians to prescribe proven preventive strategies, like weight loss, to lower the risk of this genetic disorder. Also, dog breeders now have a more informative measure to determine breeding quality to lower the risk of hip osteoarthritis in future generations of dogs.

“In humans, with appropriate studies of course, it is conceivable that mothers of susceptible children — and there are many — may adjust a child’s lifestyle, including diet, to delay the onset or lessen the severity of this genetic condition,” Smith said.

PennHIP is currently in common use by service-dog organizations such as the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army and numerous dog-guide schools. There are approximately 2,000 trained and certified members currently performing PennHIP procedure worldwide.

The study was conducted by Smith, Michelle Y. Powers, Georga T. Karbe, Thomas P. Gregor, Pamela McKelvie, William T. N. Culp and Hilary H. Fordyce of the Department of Clinical Studies at Penn Vet. Culp is currently with the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis.

The study was funded by the University of Pennsylvania, the National Institutes of Health, The Seeing Eye Inc., the Morris Animal Foundation and Nestle Purina Co. The article was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Smith, who is the inventor, and the University of Pennsylvania, which holds the patent, have a financial interest in the PennHIP method.

Original Article Click Here

 

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Chaos, It’s the holidays!

The holiday season is upon us. Our lives are busy with decorating, shopping and visitors.

It is fun, but stressful, especially for our dogs. Think about it. Dogs love a routine. The holidays get us crazy. We put trees in our living rooms and blinking light on our houses. The neighborhood yards sprout fat men in red suits, reindeer and blow up snowmen. It is no wonder their behavior becomes erratic. So does ours.

Wendt Worth Corgis enjoying the Season

This is the time of year when people become bothered by their pet’s behavior. If you have not taken the time to train your dog, it is painfully obvious. Friends and family are jumped on and hounded for attention. A gift certificate for dog training is in order for you.

But what about dogs that are usually well behaved? Now their lives are disrupted and they are confused. They go out to go potty and Santa is waving. They go for a walk and reindeer are blinking. These dogs need to be reassured that life as they know it will resume after Christmas.

Try to keep your routine as normal as possible. Take Spot for his walk. Let him look at the decorations. If it is safe, let him come up for a closer look. Praise him for being brave and carry on. If Spot is too fearful, use a happy voice and keep on moving. Do not let him get into a tizzy. Bill Campbell calls this the jolly routine. Jolly Spot up, tell him he is a silly pup and merrily stroll along. If it is not a big deal to you, it will not be a big deal to your dog.

If you have many visitors, consider your dog’s personality. Some dogs love company and wish they would never leave. Some dogs get overwhelmed. If your dog is in the second category, maybe you should put him in his crate as guests arrive. Bring him out a bit later, on lead, after things have calmed down. Allow some visiting. If Spot seems relaxed, keep him out longer. If he is stressed, back to the crate with a lovely chew reward. It is not punishment to crate him. It is relief and safety.

Some people like to take their dogs with them for holiday fun. Again, judge your pets’ personality. If you live alone and rarely have visitors, chances are Spot will not enjoy the buffet dinner with thirty guests, excited children and all of the chaos that goes with it. Maybe boarding your dog is a better solution. Then you can enjoy your family and friends. I think that is what the holiday season is about.

Try to look at the holidays from a dog point of view. Anticipate worrisome situations. Keep your dog safe and happy. Keep your routine as normal as possible. And fill his doggie life with love!

Cissy Sumner, CPDT-KA is Vero’s first Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed. If you have a question about training or behavior, email Cissy at www.bestbehaviordogtraining.org. Please include your hometown.

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Guard Against Dog Thieft

SAFE@HOME: Dognap 101: How to protect your pet from theft

By FRANK FOURCHALK, Special to QMI Agency

Dogs are kind, loyal members of the family. Canadians love dogs: 30% of us have one. The bad news is that thousands of dogs are stolen across Canada each year by pet thieves.

It’s difficult to keep your dog under lock and key 24 hours a day. However, you can minimize the risk of theft by understanding the problem.

Wendt Worth Corgis fencing keeps dog within boundaries and thieves out!

A dog may be stolen for a variety of reasons. Someone may have simply taken a fancy to the animal and wants a pet of her own. Or perhaps an estranged partner views the pet as his property and decides to organize a dog-napping. The theft could also be driven by puppy mills, where operators seek fresh breeding stock, or perhaps underground dogfighters on the lookout for breeds to be used in training.

Another problem is that some people will pay for purebred animals without getting the proper registration papers. With pedigree dogs costing hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars, a market for canine theft opens up. After all, it’s all about supply and demand.

So how can you prevent a pet thief from stealing your precious family member? To start with, make sure you spay or neuter your pet and indicate so on its collar. The experts tell us this is the best way to defend against unlawful breeders looking for purebreds.

Beware of strangers who seem overly interested in your pet. If they ask about the breeding or buying of your pet, tell them your animal has been fixed. Don’t ever talk to a stranger about your pet’s bloodline or special abilities. It’s a good idea to discreetly find out the person’s name and address, if possible, and note their licence number if they’re driving a vehicle.

Educate your neighbours about keeping an eye on suspicious activity toward animals in your neighbourhood. When at home, don’t leave your dog outside on a tethered leash for extended periods of time. Away from home, try not to leave Fido unattended in your vehicle or tied up outside a store or eatery.

If you’re able, erect a secure fence around your property that includes a gate with a double cylinder (keyed both sides) deadbolt lock. Having to scale the fence to get in and out (with the animal!) makes it difficult for a dog thief.

Why not consider buying pet insurance from a company that covers the cost of locating a missing animal? There are companies that offer $1,000 worth of advertising and reward expenses with no deductible.

If you are sure someone has stolen your pet, contact the police and make sure they take a stolen property report. Blanket your immediate area with flyers, posting them on telephone poles, in grocery stores and other retail outlets, near schools and fire stations.

Veterinary offices, shelters, pet stores and grooming shops are other great stops to make with your flyers. Don’t be shy – hand them out to postal employees, garbage workers, couriers and paper carriers.

Call your local newspaper to advise them of the theft and ask them to warn others in the neighbourhood of the crime. Do the same with local television and radio. The Internet has become a great tool for tracking down lost pets, and there are a number of free sites on which you can post images and exchange information.

Contact all breeders in the area as well as provincial and national breeding clubs. Make sure you notify local animal shelters of the theft and visit all animal control shelters in the area. And remember not to give up searching after a couple of weeks – many stolen dogs have been returned safely to their owners beyond that time.

Frank Fourchalk is a security professional with 20 years in the business. Visit his website at www.yourhomesecurity.ca

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When to Consider Euthanasia in Dogs

Many pets suffer with chronic diseases, such as cancer, that can often be managed in such a way that life is prolonged, although the quality of life is greatly diminished. For most pet owners this issue greatly influences the decision concerning euthanasia. Certainly, quality of life is a personal judgment; you know your animal companion better than anyone else. And while your veterinarian can guide you with objective information about diseases, and even provide a personal perspective of a disease condition, the final decision about euthanasia rests with you.

What Ailing Pets Should Be Able To Do

If you are considering euthanasia, here are some guidelines to help you decide whether your pet would benefit. Pets with chronic or incurable diseases that are given proper medication and care should be able to:

Eat, drink and sleep comfortably without shortness o

f breath

Act interested in what’s going on around them

Do mild exercise

Have control of their urine and bowel movements – unless the disease affects one of these organ systems

Appear comfortable and free of moderate to severe pain

Of course, whenever there is a chronic condition, some days will be better than others and one should learn to expect the natural “ups and downs” that attend most chronic disease conditions. You must determine what balance is acceptable for your own situation. Speak with your veterinarian if you have any questions or concerns regarding the diagnosis or treatment of your pet’s disease.

The Effects of Medication

If your pet is taking medication for a disease condition, ask your veterinarian if side effects of the medicine could be involved with any adverse symptoms such as lack of appetite, vomiting or diarrhea (but DON’T stop giving prescribed medication until you speak with your veterinarian). Sometimes it is the medicine, not the disease, that makes a pet appear more ill and adjusting the dose or changing the medicine can have a very positive effect.

The High Cost of Care

Of course, some diseases are very difficult, expensive or time-consuming to treat. The medical bills that may accumulate can influence your decision regarding euthanasia. These are practical decisions that must be made relative to your own financial and family situations. Though a lack of financial or personal resources for medical care may be a source of guilt to you, it is better to discuss the overall situation with your veterinarian rather than allow your pet to suffer without proper veterinary medical care.

The Hardest Decision

Euthanasia – often referred to as “putting a pet to sleep” or “putting an animal down” – literally means an “easy and painless death.” It is the deliberate act of ending life, and pet owners that must make this decision often feel anxiety or even guilt.

Before the procedure is done, the pet owner will be asked to sign a paper that is an “authorization for euthanasia” or similar document. Euthanasia usually is performed by a veterinarian and is a humane and virtually painless procedure.

Most pet owners are given the following options for witnessing the procedure. They may be present with the pet during the euthanasia. They may wish to see their pet after euthanasia. Or they may want to say goodbye to their pet before the euthanasia and not see their pet after the procedure.

Will It Hurt?

Note: The following is a description of a typical euthanasia. If you do not wish to read about this procedure, please close this document.

Euthanasia is very humane and virtually painless. First, you will be asked to sign a paper – an “authorization for euthanasia” (or similar document). Once you have decided upon your involvement n the euthanasia process, you will need to decide what you would like to have done with the remains. You can discuss your options with your veterinarian before the euthanasia procedure.

Euthanasia is usually performed by a veterinarian. The most typical procedure involves an intravenous injection of a barbiturate anesthetic given at a high concentration (overdose). In general, the euthanasia is rapid, usually within seconds, and very peaceful. Your pet will just go to sleep. On rare occasions there may be a brief vocalization or cry as consciousness is lost; this is not pain although you may misinterpreted it as such.

Within seconds of starting the injection the anesthetic overdose will cause the heart to slow and then stop, and any circulation in the body will cease. As the heart stops and the blood pressure decreases, the unconscious animal will stop breathing, circulation to the brain will cease and your pet will die peacefully.

Once your pet has died, you might observe involuntary muscle contractions or respiratory gasps about one or two minutes after the loss of consciousness and circulation. Again this is not evidence of pain or consciousness, but instead, it represents a physiologic response that occurs whenever the brain is deprived of circulation. The unconscious animal may also lose bladder or bowel control. Veterinarians often cover the pet immediately after injecting the euthanasia solution to partially shield the pet owner from these physiologic responses, which may still be disturbing.

After the Goodbye

Before the euthanasia, discuss what you want done with the body with your veterinarian. Again, this is a matter of personal taste and preference.

Burial at home. Many people who own their homes chose to bury their pet in their yards. Great care must be given to bury your pet deep enough – at least three feet – to deter predators. It is recommended to wrap your pet in plastic and place several large rocks on top of their remains before covering with earth. Many cities have ordinances against home burial so check with your local officials before laying your pet to rest.

Cemeteries. Similar to human burial, a casket and headstone are selected. Services are available with or without viewing of the remains. Ask your veterinarian or check your local telephone directory to find a nearby pet cemetery.

Cremation. Typically, cremation is available in most large cities. Some crematories will privately cremate your pet so you can save the ashes for scattering, burial or storing in an urn. Check with your veterinarian about contacting an animal crematory center.

Other options. There are a few nontraditional choices available regarding the handling of pet remains. Some people choose to consult a taxidermist and others may be interested in cryogenics, which involves freezing the remains. Research and many telephone calls may be necessary to find sources for these options.

Dog Owner Comments

We at PetPace.com have received several emails from dog lovers that wanted to share their experience about this topic. We wanted to share them with you. Go to: Dog Owners Comments About How to Know if it is the Right Time to Euthanize .

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Do Dogs Mourn????

When one dog dies, owners will often notice some changes in the pets that are left behind. They may become aloof or lethargic. Some may stop eating or become clingy. Based on these outward signs, it appears that dogs do grieve when their canine companion dies.

Because our pets cannot speak, we don’t really know what is going through their minds or what they are thinking. We must base our interpretations of their emotional state on their behavior – what they do in certain situations and under specific circumstances.

When a person experiences the death of a human loved one, we may know he feels grief based on what he says. Very often, however, it is how he reacts or what he does that tells us he is suffering. He loses his focus, becomes listless and disoriented, doesn’t eat and becomes disinterested in what is happening around him. The person may cry or go without sleep or sleep more than usual.

An animal that is experiencing the loss of another animal companion may react similarly. “Some animals can actually become depressed when they lose a loved one,” says Monique D. Chretien, MSc, AHT, Animal Behavior Consultant. “They show symptoms similar to humans such as loss of interest in their favorite activities and sleeping more than usual. However, sometimes dogs may distance themselves from the family and sleep more than usual when they are ill, so you should consult with your veterinarian before seeing a behaviorist if your dog exhibits symptoms such as these.”

Your dog may lose her appetite, become disoriented, or become more clingy. If the deceased dog was taken to a veterinarian to be euthanized, the grieving dog may sit at the window for days watching for her return. Animal behaviorists commonly call this emotional state separation anxiety. On the surface, the pet’s behavior is similar to
that of a person experiencing grief over the loss of a loved one.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals conducted a Companion Animal Mourning Project in 1996. The study found that 36 percent of dogs ate less than usual after the death of another canine companion. About 11 percent actually stopped eating completely. About 63 percent of dogs vocalized more than normal or became more quiet. Study respondents indicated that surviving dogs changed the quantity and location of sleep. More than half the surviving pets became more affectionate and clingy with their caregivers. Overall, the study revealed that 66 percent of dogs exhibited four or more behavioral changes after losing a pet companion.

If your dog shows signs that she is grieving the loss of an animal or human family member, provide her with more attention and affection. “Try to take her mind off it by engaging her in a favorite activity,” says Chretien. If she enjoys human company, invite friends that she likes to visit and spend time with her. Use environmental enrichment techniques such as toys to help keep her busy. Hide toys or treats at her favorite spots for her to find during the day.

If your dog is too depressed over the loss, she may not respond to extra activity right away. The old saying, “Time heals all wounds,” has meaning for your dog, too. “Time is one thing that may help,” says Chretien. Based on the results of the ASPCA study, most dogs returned to normal after about two weeks but some dogs took up to six months to fully recover.

If your dog is vocalizing more or howling, don’t give her treats to distract her or you might unintentionally reinforce the howling. “Giving attention during any behavior will help to reinforce it so be sure you are not reinforcing a behavior that you don’t like,” says Chretien. “Give attention at a time when your dog is engaging in behaviors that you do like, such as when she is resting quietly or watching the squirrels. As the pain of the loss begins to subside, so should the vocalizing, as long as it is related to the grieving process.”

You may also want to consult with your veterinarian regarding drug therapy to help decrease your dog’s anxiety, advises Chretien.

If you are thinking about adding another dog, wait until you and your surviving dog have adjusted to the loss. Forcing your dog to get to know a newcomer will only add stress to her already anxiety-ridden emotional state. And be patient. Your dog may miss her canine companion as much as you do.

Click here for original article

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A dog’s yard: Establishing boundaries for your dog and training vs. deterring

In our modern day dog world, with the availability of so many creative restraint tools and containment systems, it can be difficult to recognize the difference between a dog who is truly trained and a dog who is effectively deterred.

The Low Riders know their boundaries and perimeters without acclimation

I often hear statements like: “I trained my dog to walk with a head halter,” or “I trained my dog to mind an invisible fence.” In many cases these concepts would be more accurately described by replacing the word “trained” with the word “acclimated.” If a dog is kept under control or contained solely because of the perpetual presence of a deterrent, he is not yet trained. A trained dog maintains specific behaviors and remains dedicated to structured routines despite the absence of restraint or correction. I feel the need to make this distinction if only for the sake of paying due credit to dogs who have achieved this level of responsibility.

This is a huge subject and encompasses more than can be addressed in one post, so I am going to look at it from the angle of securing boundaries, specifically, getting a dog to stay on “home turf.”

Training your dog to respect home boundary can be fun and super-rewarding! It is a tremendous gift to both you and your dog because it promotes more freedom and security in your lives. Contrary to popular thinking, you can train boundaries without the use of a physical barrier or an invisible fence (electric stimulation) system. Fences provide a certain convenience because they, in theory, allow you to “check out” of the picture sooner rather than later. This brings me back to my initial point about the difference between training and restraining.

If you mistake your effectively-contained dog for a trained dog, you risk being lulled into a false sense of security that could put your dog, the public, and ultimately yourself in danger. I’ve found that dog owners who become over-reliant on a containment system tend to lose touch, over time, with their dog and the boundary. Their dog may be attempting to break or successfully breaking boundary, encountering things coming into the boundary, discovering items within the boundary and essentially managing the area as she sees fit without guidance. I’ll say here that I am not opposed to fences but if you rely on one and overlook training, you may end up with a dog who continues to invest energy in challenging the “system” in some fashion.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you do rely on some form of fence containment:

• When you set up your boundary be sure to include a route for public access that is outside of your dog’s boundary area. The UPS driver, Girl Scout, Jehovah’s witnesses and your dog will all be more secure if they don’t have to manage chance encounters in your absence.
• Keep training in the picture. Don’t leave all the work up to the fence. Spend time regularly with your dog walking the perimeter and defining the boundary together. Let her know that she is respecting the boundary for you, not the fence or because of a potential correction.
• If you are using an invisible fence, make sure that your dog isn’t breaking boundary when you’re not around and inspect your equipment often.
• Remember that fences don’t always keep things out. Invisible fences offer zero external security and physical fences are not impervious either. Raccoons can climb, skunks can dig and kids can open gates. Small dogs are especially vulnerable when left unattended in a boundary due to the potential for predators like a fox, coyote or owl to pick them off. Stay tuned into your dog and yard! Don’t leave your dog alone for extended periods of time.
• Inspect your dog yard daily for signs of any problems. Digging projects in process, the presence of foreign materials, damage to outdoor furniture — your dog could be getting into things you aren’t aware of until it’s too late.
• Keep the boundary clean, comfortable and safe for your dog! Daily poop clean-up is also a chance to spend time with your dog in the yard.
• Don’t make your dog just a “yard dog” — even if your containment system is failsafe a dog still deserves a life outside of a yard! A system that is really convenient for you could become torture for your dog if it means he never gets to experience life anymore.
• Don’t let your dog bark incessantly. No matter how entertaining you think this is for your dog, it is a nuisance behavior that indicates boredom, not to mention that it will drive your neighbors crazy.
• Train your dog to be accepting of guests on home boundary in your presence, with your guidance. Do not shoulder your dog with the responsibility of managing encounters in your absence unless she has been trained for a specific purpose and is equipped to handle these encounters properly.
• Post your boundary with a sign if necessary to alert outsiders of your dog’s presence.

Planning and continued maintenance can greatly reduce the potential for a boundary system that ends up working against you and your dog. Use common logic and always strive for good training to replace the need for clever restraining!

John Spieser is a professional dog trainer and owner of Dogheart. He can be reached at john@doghearta2.com.

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Pet Compounding!! Medication prepared to fit patient specific needs.

by Ashley Fuller

Cherokee Tribune

September 26, 2010 12:00 AM |

Cherokee Custom Script Pharmacy in Holly Springs fills prescriptions for more than just people.

And animals are finding it easier to take their medicine with the help of pharmacist Dale Coker of Woodstock.

His compounding business began in 2000 when it became a service of Ball Ground Pharmacy, and he moved the operation to Holly Springs four years later.

Coker describes compounding as getting a drug “into dosage form that the patient can take,” whether it be a cream or sugar-free liquid. Compounding is the science of preparing a medication to fit the specific needs of a patient.

The pharmacy does “a fair amount” of work for animals, and is one of very few in the state that provide compounding services for them.

“Veterinarians were the first to accept compounding,” said Coker, 57, president of the Georgia Pharmacy Association for 2010-11. “There was greater acceptance in the veterinary community. Over time, it has become much more widely accepted.”

Compounding is important to the veterinary community, he said, because it requires more flavors, dosages and potency levels than commercially available medications supply.

Pharmacists through compounding can mix a discontinued medicine from scratch. They can also take substances a patient is allergic to out of medicine, combine multiple prescriptions into one pill and add flavors to medicine.

“Veterinarians, a lot of the time, have challenges” getting animals to take medications, he added.

Allison Shaw of Woodstock went to Coker for help with her pet goat, George.

George was suffering from bladder stones, and the veterinarian had prescribed daily doses of ammonium chloride. Getting George to take the medicine proved to be difficult.

“It is the most disgusting stuff you can imagine,” she said about ammonium chloride.

She worked with Coker to make the medication more palatable.

“He made up a licorice flavor, and George liked the flavor,” she said. “After about a year, he got sick of the licorice, and we went to butterscotch.”

She credits the compounding with giving George another two-and-a-half years of life before dying of old age at 13 years old.

Coker also works to advocate for compounding by meeting with legislators.

Earlier this year, Coker, along with other pharmacists from around the country and representatives from the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists, met with politicians in Washington, D.C.

The goal is to see the Food and Drug Administration reconsider a policy that prohibits compounders of veterinary medicine from using bulk ingredients as their starting material.

Coker said working to help animals such as George the goat live longer is “very gratifying.”

Original Article Click Here

 

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