Humans for Dogs

Smokers would quit for their dog's health

2009-02-10T07:32:03-07:00

"Smokers are more likely to quit smoking for the sake of their pets' health than they are for their own." says an article on Lab Spaces.

Nearly one in three of the smokers (28.4%) said that knowing that smoking was bad for their pets' health would spur them to give it up.

I had the opportunity to see a pair of dog lungs that came from a smoking family and they were black and riddled with holes like a heavy smokers. Smoking affects your kids and your pets!

Photo by psk2006.

How will your dog celebrate the New Year?

2008-12-31T12:09:49-07:00

Don't forget to include your dog in this year's new year celebrations! Make sure it's safe though ...

Keep your dogs indoors if fireworks scare them. And most importantly - make sure alcohol is kept out of their reach!

Photo by boxercab.

Does your dog need a treadmill?

2008-12-20T16:30:06-07:00

You can now buy a treadmill specifically designed for dogs, like the Total Pet Health Exercising Dog Treadmill. As people work longer hours, live in places that don't allow them to exercise their dogs, and their dogs become overweight, more and more people are turning to treadmills designed specifically for dogs. (Be sure to use the ones designed for dogs as using treadmills designed for people may injure your dog.)

Just keep in mind that dogs love other types of exercise like walks and playing catch. So while a doggie treadmill might be necessary to keep them in shape given your lifestyle, if at all possible let them exercise in a way that they consider fun, not work! (Just wish I loved walking and playing catch as much as they do!)

Photos by normanack and star5112.</span></b><br>x;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0" scrolling="no">

Best collar for dogs after surgery: not plastic cones!

2008-05-21T07:40:48-06:00

Beat up plastic cone

After surgery, your vet will usually give you (or sell you) a large plastic cone to put around your dog's neck. This is to keep them from chewing on their stitches or scratching them in the case of head injuries. Our dogs never quite seem to get used to them. One of them tries to go through the doggie door with it on, the other actually moves furniture around with the cone! He walks by the table, the table leg catches on the plastic cone, and he just keeps going! Next thing you know the table is being pushed across the floor. (One time he actually jumped the fence and when running down the street ... with a plastic cone on his head and 30+ staples in his stomach!) Two potential solutions come to mind.

You can trim the cone. For most dogs, the cone doesn't actually need to go much beyond your dog's nose. This works really well for head injuries where you are just trying to keep the dog from scratching their ear, nose or face. Just take the scissors and trim around.
Get a soft collar before your dog comes home. Not only are these soft and more flexible but they have the added benefit of being washable and more durable. (We never get more than one use out of the plastic cones from the vet.)

Any other solutions you know of?

Why do homeless people have dogs?

2008-05-08T14:31:46-06:00

Homeless woman with dogs
Originally uploaded by Franco Folini

Many homeless people have dogs. There are many theories why from for the company to it helps them get more money when begging to the dogs protect them and their belongs while they are sleeping. (I was in a Walgreens in downtown San Francisco once and I wondered why everybody in line had a bag of dog food until I got outside and saw a man with a dog begging. He was getting a lot of dog food!) Personally, I think homeless people have dogs for the company. Living on the streets is lonely and as every one know dogs make great, non-judgmental companions.

The other debate about homeless people with dogs is how good it is for the dogs. While a few people argue that the dogs enjoy being with someone all day long and getting lots of exercise walking around, most people agree that most street dogs (even those that belong to homeless people) are malnourished and are often not vaccinated or spayed or neutered. While there are some veterinary clinics that will treat the pets of the poor for free or little cost, many of the homeless shelters will not accept people that have pets. So both owners and pets are constantly exposed to the elements and often homeless people have other problems like mental illnesses or drug addictions which can affect their pets. (On the other hand, pets might be really good for them.)

I've heard as many of 5% of homeless people have pets but I don't have any definite statistics.

Why do dogs love stuffed animals?

2008-04-30T06:28:21-06:00

I will be here for you....
Photo by Lukman Kusuma

My dog Teddy had a whole collection of stuffed animals and she knew them all by name and would bring them to you if you asked: Mr. Scruffles (the ugliest white cat you've ever seen), Simba (a lion of course), Simba Jr. (all the lions that followed as she wore them out), ... Many of them had emergency surgery to make them last longer.

Dogs love stuffed animals. How many of you have seen a puppy carrying around a stuffed animal almost as big as the puppy? Many dogs like to play with stuffed animals, shaking, chewing and loving them. They also carry them around and use them as pillows while they are sleeping. Why? One theory is that dogs, especially retrievers, like carrying things in their mouth. Another is that they are practicing hunting when they shake the stuffed animals. I think they just like to play and collect toys like we do.

If you give your dog stuffed animals be sure to watch how they act with them to make sure they are safe. Our dog Chase isn't allowed any stuffed animals because he eats them immediately. If you don't buy stuffed animals made for dogs, be careful to watch for pieces like plastic eyes and noses and styrofoam stuffing that can be chewed off and eaten.

Ruth Bird suggests buying stuffed animals at garage sales cheap. I also found discount stores were a good place to pick up stuffed animals for your dog.

Is it safe to give your dog a bone?

2008-04-06T08:15:34-06:00

There's been a lot of debate about whether or not it's safe to feed dogs bones. Here are a few things to consider:

You want them to chew the bone, not swallow it. So give them big bones as opposed to small bones or pieces of bone.
Bones that are likely to splinter, like chicken and turkey, are not a good choice.
Although bones have nutritional value, if you are feeding your dog regular dog food, they do not need bones for health reasons.
Bones can help keep their teeth clean. I've found that compressed rawhide and Greenies are the best for keeping teeth clean.
Some dogs, especially when they are puppies, like to chew on things. Giving them bones may save many of your other belongings!

Your dogs don't need bones but many really enjoy them. Select the bones carefully and keep an eye on your dog while they chew on them.

Photo by ¡arturii!.

Dyeing your dog pink

2008-03-11T11:43:39-06:00

pink poodle
Originally uploaded by Joseph Robertson

You can't legally dye your dog in Boulder. Boulder woman fighting fine for dyeing her poodle pink. In case you are wondering, she did it to support breast cancer.

Note: this picture is not the Boulder dog nor the woman that was sued.

Did I kill my dog with grapes?

2008-03-05T15:45:57-07:00

My dog Teddy died last year from kidney failure. After she died, I found out that grapes can cause kidney disease in dogs. Grapes were her favorite treat. She used to balance them on the tip of her nose until I said ok and then she'd roll it off an into her mouth. I'll never know whether all the grapes I gave her contributed to her kidney disease or not, but I know I'll always wonder.

Don't feed your dog raisins or grapes. According to my vet, different amounts are toxic to different dogs, but you won't know until it's too late if your dog is one of the ones that reacts really badly to grapes!

I do wish I'd gotten a picture of her balancing a grape on her nose!

Photo by Nikita Kashner.

Now this dog is dedicated to playing catch!

2008-01-17T10:05:02-07:00

stormy