This is Emmie, the main character in the Chicken Carcass Caper.  The other morning I was cooking breakfast, left the room for less than five minutes, and heard the sounds of dropping and crunching. By the time I returned, the kitchen had turned into a crime scene.  The garbage container had been knocked over & the chicken carcass I had thrown in the previous evening was missing.  Emmie was eating the last of it.

Dogs and chicken bones don’t mix.  Cooked chicken bones are especially dangerous as they are dry and can splinter into small, sharp pieces and puncture the dog’s digestive system.  At 8:00 AM sharp I was on the phone with the vet.  She recommended that I feed Emmie white bread, it’s bland and would “pad” her system.  I was also told to monitor her for the next couple of days: if she had blood in her stools, diarrhea, vomiting or became listless I was to bring her in immediately.  Luckily, everything is OK.

At the Hearing and Service Dogs of Minnesota luncheon, I was fortunate to sit at the same table as Lynne Willeke, a trainer at Bark Busters.  I told Lynn about Emmie’s chicken carcass caper, then asked if she had any tips to stop that from happening in the future.  Our conversation evolved and Lynn agreed to appear on Talk2theAnimals Blog as a guest blogger.  Below are her tips and ideas on dogs and trash containers. Thanks Lynne, for sharing your wisdom at Talk2theAnimals!

Training Tips by Lynne Willeke

Does your pooch love to dig for buried treasure in your trash containers?  Then you are not alone in this problem!  Try one or more of these helpful hints to solve the issue.

One of the easiest solutions is management and prevention.  Invest in a container that Fido can’t open.  Put the bathroom waste bin in an cupboard.

Maybe Sammie is bored.  Try using mind stimulation toys like the Buster Cube, a Kong or the Canine Genius.   Or play hide and seek with people, toys or treats.  Does he get enough exercise?

Maybe Bella hasn’t ever been asked to follow any household rules.  Teach her some basic guidelines like sit and wait for dinner, good greeting behaviors, wait before going out the door.  This can help her respect what is desirable behavior in the household, plus engage her mind.

The problem is that every time your dog succeeds in getting that tissue or the chicken bones from dinner, he gets rewarded with his success.  Not only does he get rewarded, sometimes he may ingest something downright dangerous to him. Every time he gets rewarded, he is encouraged to go searching again.

How to deal with Bouncer’s trash digging straight on:

• Try to catch him in the act, verbally correct the behavior and redirect him to a better choice.  But some dogs are so sneaky!
• Spray bitter apple on a paper towel and place inside, on top of the trash. If he starts to dig, he will get an unpleasant taste.  Hint, this will have more effect if he has had a chance to lick bitter apple off your hand previously. He’ll remember he didn’t like it!
• If you have a covered trash container that has a lid Bouncer can open, try placing a ring of keys or some chain-something that will fall off and make noise when he goes digging.  Many dogs will find this surprising and unpleasant enough to stay away.  You will need to repeat this more than once.

Don’t forget to encourage and praise your pooch when he is making good choices!

Lynne can be found on FaceBook and at BarkBusters. Click here to see her bio page at BarkBusters.  Contact Lynne about your dog training questions!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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I have just returned from the barn and taking care of Shiloh: deworming, feeding, grooming, and spoiling–not in that particular order.  This was the first day that he was out grazing, and it made me think of the horse care that needs to be provided with the onset of spring.  Click here to read more about the Spring Checklist for Horses.

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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There are many items we keep in and around our houses that are lethal to our pets.  The ASPCA has written a very informative article about the top 10 pet poisons of 2008.  I have listed them here, but I invite you to visit their site to read the article in its entirety.

• Human Medications
• Insecticides
• Some People Food
• Rodenticides
• Veterinary Medications
• Plants
• Chemical Hazards
• Household Cleaners
• Heavy Metals
• Fertilizer

We can’t leave it up to our beloved pets to know what is safe and what is unsafe.  If you suspect your pet has been poisoned, contact your vet or, if after hours, your emergency vet immediately.  You can also contact Animal Poison Control Center’s 24-hour hotline at 888-426-4435.

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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Spring is coming; even in Minnesota there are signs of spring: warmer temperatures, and a little bit of green in my garden – weeds.  Soon we will have spring showers, and then the mosquitoes will be out.

Mosquitoes can carry heartworm, a potentially lethal infection for dogs.  Here in MN it’s time to have the heartworm exam done, and beginning May 1, my dogs Teddy and Emmie will begin their monthly heartworm regime.  Why is this important for dogs?

Heartworm is a parasitic infection caused by bites of the culicine mosquitoes.  When a dog receives the bite, the heartworm larva remain around the bite wound for two months as they grow into adult worms. Then they enter the bloodstream and migrate to the dog’s heart and lungs, where they begin their own regenerative cycle.  They can be 6-14 inches in length and can live in the dog 5-7 years.

Dogs need to be tested yearly for heartworm because there are not any visible signs of the infection in early stages.  In severe cases of heartworm, your dog may exhibit the following:

• Cough
• An intolerance to exercise
• Difficulty with breathing
• Loss of appetite and weight loss

Once a dog shows symptoms, hospitalization is almost always required because of how involved the treatment is.
Even Dr. Pitcairn, in his book Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health For Dogs and Cats says he is reluctant to tell people to stop the use of heartworm preventives as he cannot guarantee the dogs won’t get heartworm.  If you would like to read more on Dr. Pitcairn’s views, click here need link to order the book.

If for any reason you think your dog has heartworms, contact your vet immediately.
Harmony,

Janet Roper

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Hey Ho, Teddy here.  You know what, dog pals?  I gotta tell ya, and I’m kinda red-in-the-face to tell ya, but my mom’s a wuss.  Yup.  Mom’s a wuss.  She proved it when me and Emmie was at the dog park.

So you know we live in MN.  Great state, has lots of snow, and me and Emmie like playin’ in the snow.  We were at the dog park and it was snowy and it was icy and it was muddy!  It had almost every condition a dog pal could ever want! HA!  And there were LOTS of dog pals there that day, let me tell ya.  So me and Emmie and all the dog pals took off running and playing and jumping.  And dog pals, it was fun being on that ice, cuz I could go scooting down the hill, HA!  But you know what, Mom poked and poked and poked cuz she said she didn’t want to slip and fall on the ice.  I told ya she’s a wuss.  Me and Emmie left her behind in the dust, if ya know what I mean.

But I got to looking for her and I couldn’t find her!  And you know dog pals, how important it is to keep your eyes on your human families at the dog park so they don’t get in trouble.  So I ran back, and there’s Mom – the wuss – still poking along on the ice AND telling other humans to be careful at the top of the hill, how icy and treacherous it was up there!  I was very red-in-the-face, let me tell ya.  I don’t think Mom saw me, so I got out of there as fast as I could.  Ya know, a dog pal’s got to do whatever he can to keep his dignity…

But you know what we saw later on, dog pals?  There were some humans and their human pups at the top of one of the big hills, and the humans would put their human pups on these very colorful board things and the human pups would slide down the hill on those board things! HA! It looked like fun, so I went over to those humans, but they told me to get away!  Can you imagine!

Emmie started chasing after one of the human pups going down the hill on one of the board things, but the humans told her to go away!  Telling a dog to get away at a dog park?

Well.  I was just getting ready to give them a piece of my mind, dog pals, when Mom – the wuss – caught up with us.  And know what?  Mom was not happy to see those human pups on the board things.  She said that it was very dangerous for humans to let their human pups do that at a dog park.  I think she called it sledding, or sliding, or something like that.  She said that one of the human pups was scared when she was on that board thing.  Mom said she could tell because the human pup had their head covered up and wouldn’t look at anything.  And Mom said it was dangerous because dogs like to chase things that run away from them, and the dog pals could hurt the human pups by mistake.

And you know what happened dog pals?  About that time one of the really big dogs started chasing one of the human pups as they rode down the hill on that board thing.  And those humans started yelling at that dog pal to go away and leave their pup alone!  Can you IMAGINE telling a dog pal to go away at a dog park???

Mom told me and Emmie we needed to leave that area.  She didn’t want us to get in trouble just because a human wasn’t obeying the park rules.

Well, it was a big day, I can tell ya, dog pals.  I was covered in mud, beautiful mud!  HA!  When I got home, Mom said I had to have a bath, but dog pals, I was SOOOO tired that I feel asleep as Mom gave me my bath! HA!

So here’s what I decided, dog pals.  Mom might be a wuss, but she’s a smart wuss!  OK dog pals, gotta scoot.

Over and Out,

Teddy

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Got pets? Dogs and/or cats?  Then you will find Dr. Pitcairn’s New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats a must for your library.  It’s a hefty book, a paperback with 464 pages.  Originally published 20 years ago, it has sold over 400,000 copies.

Prevention is the key to having a healthy pet.  Dr. Pitcairn’s book provides succinct, easy to follow and easy to understand information on natural care for cats and dogs.

The book is divided into two parts, with the first part covering natural health for pets.  In this section you will find information on diet, home-made recipes, exercise, choosing a healthy animal, creating a healthy environment for your pet, dealing with the death of a pet, how to care for a sick animal and holistic and alternative modalities for pets.

The second part of the book is a quick reference section for diseases and even has a section for handling emergencies and giving first aid.

This is an invaluable reference to have on hand, I highly recommend it. To purchase the book, simply click on the book icon and you will be taken to Amazon.

As far as the home-made pet food cat recipes, my 17 year old cat Mitzie gives them 5 out of 5 purrs!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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During this economic downturn, people are looking for ways to save money and to use money more prudently.  It seems like everything is fair game for budget cuts, including our pets’ health care.

The temptation may be great to make budget cuts around pet health care; for instance, cutting back on preventive care and wellness checks.  However, by economizing on preventive care, we may be opening ourselves up for actually spending more money in the longrun.  Written by a vet, the informative article, “Don’t Skimp on Pet’s Preventive Care During Tough Economic Times,” gives some information and guidance on where and how to cut back on pet care.

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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Pets get cold too during the winter, and it is so important that we take extra special care of them during this frigid time.  Here’s a video that gives some winter pet care tips.  Just remember, if it’s too cold for you, it’s too cold for them!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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Hey Ho, Teddy here!  Dog pals, have you noticed that I’ve been adding a lot to this blog lately?  Pretty neat, huh.  I might even have to change the title of my posts, cuz I’m writing about more than going to our dog park!  HA!  But I have important things to say, and I’m asking you dog pals to bark this message to your humans!

Dog pals, I know all us animals are cute and cuddly and adorable, but you know what? The holidays are coming up and sometimes people want to give other people pets for gifts!

You know what, dog pals?  Pets and gifts are not synonymous.  HA!  That’s a really big word I just learned, so I’m using it on all you dog pals.  You can use it too, I’ll let you.  Anyway, that’s just a fancy way of saying we pets are not the same as gifts.  And it’s not a good idea to give pets as gifts.  Here’s why, dog pals, I’ll tell ya:

• We pets take a lot of care because we deserve the very best!  HA!  The person may not be ready for or up to taking care of us the way we need to be taken care of.
• We pets can live a long time.  Look at me, dog pals.  Would you believe I’m fifteen years old?  And I got some good years left, let me tell you.  HA!  So we can cost a lot, what with treats and food and training and vet bills and toys and did I say treats?  We can be pretty spendy and not everyone can afford us, especially if they’re on something called a fixed income.
• And dog pals, don’t you think that humans might prefer to pick out their own pet?  I mean, what if one human gave another human a dog pal, and the human receiving the dog pal actually wanted a bird or a fish?  That wouldn’t be good dog pals, not good at all.
• Here’s another thing, dog pals.  Sometimes human parents give their kids cute little puppies, cuz the puppies are cute!  But you know, dog pals, that cuteness changes and when we dog pals get older–we’re cute in a different way!  What I’m saying, dog pals, is that the cuteness can wear off when the kids realize how much work we can be!  Like taking us for walks, and letting us go outside when we need to, and remembering to keep our water bowl filled with fresh water and feeding us and training us.  You know, dog pals, all that A+ good service that we need and deserve and expect!  HA!
• Besides all of that stuff, dog pals, bringing a pet into a family works best if it is a family decision, and a lot of thought and planning is given as to what kind of pet would make that family complete!  And who’s going to do the training, and the feeding, and the treats.  Don’t forget the treats!  HA!

So dog pals, long story short, bark it out to everyone you know, yes even cats, to tell all the humans they know not to give us pets as gifts.  If they want their human friend to have a pet, tell ‘em to give that person a gift certificate to a humane society or a rescue organization.  That’ll help everybody!

See ya, dog pals.  Good talking with ya, as always!

Over & Out,

Teddy

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Ready, set, go!  Mark your calendars and get your animal communication questions ready!

Talk2theAnimals First Friday Forum is this Friday, December 5 from 7:00 – 8:00 PM CS

And what is that all about, you ask?  First Friday Forum is your chance to have your animal communication questions answered.  All you need to do is email your questions to me with “First Friday Forum” as the subject line.  Questions are answered on a first come, first served basis, so take a few minutes and send that email now!

Once I’ve received your question, I will email you the teleconference information.

First Friday Forum doesn’t offer individual readings for your animals, but if you would like to receive an individual reading, let me know and we’ll get it scheduled.  First Friday Forum participants will receive a 10% savings on their reading when it is scheduled before the end of the teleconference!

Looking forward to answering your question at First Friday Forum!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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