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Here is a fascinating article and video from healthland.time.com:
Scientists Use Brain Scans to Peek at What Dogs Are Thinking By Alexandra Sifferlin
Is Fido really excited to see you? Or is the panting and tail wagging simply a sign that he’s anticipating a treat?
Researchers from Emory University in Atlanta are trying to answer this question and others by using MRI scans. In a new study, scientists report that they have for the first time successfully trained dogs to lie awake and still in an MRI machine for 10 to 15 seconds, long enough to complete a scan.
“We can actually capture brain images and see what parts of the brain are activating when we have hand signals or when we talk to [the dog] or when we point this way or that way. Now we can really begin to understand what a dog is thinking,” said researcher Gregory Berns, a professor of neuroeconomics at Emory, in a video about the study.
The idea for the study was sparked after Berns learned that dogs were involved in the U.S. military’s mission to kill Osama bin Laden. “I realized dogs can be trained to jump out of airplanes and helicopters. We can certainly train them to go into an MRI so we can see what they’re thinking,” he said.
For the proof-of-concept experiment, it took researchers eight months to train two dogs to remain motionless in the machine while wearing noise-reducing earmuffs. The scientists then looked at the dogs’ brain activity in response to human hand signals indicating that they would either receive a hot dog (left hand up) or not receive a hot dog (both hands pointing toward each other horizontally). The idea was to see whether the appropriate brain regions would light up in anticipation of a reward, which they did.
That’s just the beginning. Now that researchers know they can get an unrestrained and unsedated dog to lie still in the MRI tunnel, they hope to study all kinds of canine thoughts. The Los Angeles Times reported:
For example, Berns said, they might explore whether dogs have empathy for owners by showing the dogs pictures of their owners being poked with a pin and seeing whether that triggers a pain response in the dog’s brain. They can also determine whether dogs process human language as arbitrary sound or if they have neural structures that respond to the deeper manner of language. They can see if dogs recognize their owners by sight or by smell.
“Dog-lovers are convinced their dogs know what they’re feeling. Honestly, I’m on the fence about that. Maybe that’s because of my own dogs,” Berns told Wired Science. “Skeptics out there — a.k.a. cat people — think dogs are just good actors. I don’t think it’s quite like that. But how far it goes, I’d love to figure out.”
Flea and Tick Season 2012: It’s Early and It’s Ugly
Posted By: Dr. Becker on May 04 2012
Story at-a-glance
Thanks to an unusually warm winter, flea and tick season is expected to come early and be especially bothersome this year. In fact, the season is already underway in some areas of the U.S.
Before you take all the dire warnings to heart and run out to buy every chemical pest control product you can get your hands on, keep this in mind — controlling fleas and ticks is a simple recipe with just 3 ingredients: keeping your pet pest-free, keeping your home pest-free, and keeping your yard pest-free.
With planning and diligence, you can accomplish those three things with all natural – not chemical – pest control methods. And if you do encounter a situation where the use of chemical agents is unavoidable, there are ways to minimize the damage these products can cause.
By Dr. Becker
Well, the good news for many of us across the U.S. is we had a mild winter with above-average temperatures and not a lot of snow.
The bad news is warm winter weather means an early and heavy bug season, specifically for fleas and ticks.
These pests are surfacing from their dormant life cycles sooner rather than later this year.
In fact, many veterinarians are predicting a 2012 flea and tick season that will be the worst in a decade.
And it’s already underway in some parts of the country.
No Need to Panic
Widespread panic is more or less what the sellers of chemical pest preventives would like to see as a result of an early and heavy flea and tick season this year.
But before you start having nightmares about massive flea infestations or blood-bloated ticks all over your dog — which could easily prompt you to run out and buy every chemical pest agent you can find – take a deep breath.
Everything you need to do to control pests on your pet this year falls into these three easy-to-remember categories:
Keep your pet pest-free
Keep your home pest-free
Keep your yard pest-free
I strongly discourage pet owners from automatically applying harsh chemical agents to repel or kill pests. I see animals every day at my Natural Pet clinic that suffer from the side effects of toxic chemicals and drugs they were exposed to for any number of reasons, including pest control.
And to make matters worse, many of these pets still get fleas and ticks even with the use of toxic chemical agents.
That’s why I believe in using natural pest repellents and other non-toxic pest control methods whenever possible.
If you live where fleas and ticks are prevalent during the warmer months, vigilance in keeping your pet, your home and your yard pest-free should allow your four-legged companion to enjoy his summer right along with the rest of the family.
All Natural Tips for a Pest-Free Pet
If fleas are a problem, comb your pet with a flea comb at least once a day, every day during pest season. Do the combing on a white towel or other light colored cloth so you can see what’s coming off your pet’s coat and skin as you comb.
Flea ‘dirt’ (actually flea feces) looks like real dirt, but when suspended in a little rubbing alcohol or water will dissolve and release a red color (blood) allowing you to discern real dirt from flea dirt.
Drop the combings into a bowl or other container of soapy water and flush it down the toilet when your combing session is over.
Bathe your pet. A soothing bath will kill fleas (via drowning), help heal skin irritation, and make your furry companion feel more comfortable and less itchy. Also, clean animals aren’t as attractive to fleas. Pick a non-grain (no oatmeal) shampoo specifically for pets.
Be aware that some pets have a condition called flea allergy dermatitis (FAD), which is sensitivity to flea saliva. This is actually a very common condition in dogs. It’s not the bite of a flea that causes most of the itching, it’s the saliva. And the saliva can cause irritation way out of proportion to the number of fleas on your pet.
That’s why lots of dog owners assume the terrible itching their pet is enduring can’t be flea related because they don’t see any fleas. In fact, a pet with FAD can be made absolutely miserable from the saliva of just one or two fleas. And it can make her uncomfortable for many weeks – long after the fleas are dead and gone.
If ticks are a problem where you live, the best way to control them is through daily grooming and nose-to-tail body checks of your pet. You should examine your dog or cat closely for ticks whenever he’s been outside, and at least once a day, regardless.
If you should find a tick attached to your pet, it must be removed carefully and safely.
Don’t squeeze the tick, pull on it, press down on it, burn it, or otherwise try to kill it while it’s still embedded in your pet. You don’t want to inadvertently harm your dog or cat, and you don’t want to cause the tick to secrete more saliva into your pet or leave pieces of the rostrum (the ‘sticker’) embedded in your pet’s skin.
The safest way to remove a tick is with a twisting motion. Our Tick Stick tick removal tool is great to have on hand if you ever need to get a tick off your pet.
In addition to the above suggestions, I also recommend you make liberal use of an all-natural pest repellent like Natural Flea and Tick Defense, which is effective against flies and mosquitoes as well. It contains all natural ingredients — safe oils and pure water.
Other safe alternatives to chemical pest repellents include cedar oil (specifically formulated to be applied to pets) and natural food-grade diatomaceous earth (DE) (both of which can be applied directly to your pet’s skin and coat – follow label application instructions), and fresh garlic (it must be fresh, not processed — work with your holistic vet to determine a safe amount for your pet’s body weight).
Don’t waste your money on garlic in pill form or brewer’s yeast pills. The B vitamins found in brewer’s yeast responsible for boosting the immune system can be naturally delivered by feeding your pet a meat based, living food diet. I don’t recommend feeding allergenic brewer’s yeast to pets.
Powdered garlic or garlic in tablet form has lost the medicinal component, Allicin, found in fresh garlic. Garlic pills can be dangerous to pets.
DE can also be added to your pet’s food if your pet has internal parasites. DE is not effective against heartworms as they are present in the bloodstream, where DE isn’t.
All Natural Tips for a Pest-Free Home
Your first line of defense against a flea infestation in your home is to keep your pet pest-free using the suggestions outlined above.
Vacuuming all the areas of your home your pet has access to is a given in controlling fleas indoors. Vacuum the carpet, area rugs, bare floors, upholstered furniture, pillows, your pet’s bedding and even your own if your pet sleeps with you.
Use the crevice tool and other nifty attachments to vacuum along the baseboards and around the corners and edges of furniture. Don’t forget to vacuum hard-to-reach places like under furniture, beds and closet floors.
Dump the contents of your vacuum as soon as you’re finished and get them out of the house.
If feasible, designate a single sleeping area for your pet – preferably one you can clean easily. Fleas accumulate in pet sleeping spaces, so if you can limit those, it will be easier to control the situation.
Your dog’s or cat’s bedding should be vacuumed daily and washed frequently.
You can apply a light dusting of food grade diatomaceous earth (DE) on your carpets, bare floors, and pet bedding. Make sure the DE is food grade, not pool filter grade as the latter is toxic if ingested.
Like diatomaceous earth, cedar oil can be applied to your environment and pet bedding, as well as directly on your dog or cat. It is an all-natural insect repellent. Pestigator.comi has a wealth of information about the use of cedar oil as well as a wide variety of cedar-based products for indoor, outdoor and direct pet application use.
You can apply sodium polyborate powder to your carpets and wood floors to get rid of fleas at the larval stage. Instructions at Fleabusters.comii state you should keep pets and children out of the room while you’re applying the product, but they can come into the area safely immediately afterward. The powder works for a year once it’s applied unless you have your carpets steam cleaned.
All-Natural Tips for a Pest-Free Yard
Keep your grass mowed, weeds pulled, and bushes trimmed. Clear away debris as it accumulates and do regular inspections of your property for places where pests are apt to hide and multiply.
Food grade diatomaceous earth can also be used to control pests in your yard. However, it doesn’t work immediately and must be reapplied frequently (monthly for best results). To use dry with a powder applicator you’ll need about 1 pound per 500 square feet. You can also mix it up as a paste and apply it with a hose-end sprayer, using 2 tablespoons per gallon of water.
Mosquito Barrieriii is an all-natural, liquid garlic based solution that can be sprayed on your lawn. Its repellent effect should last about a month according to the manufacturer.
Nematodes are microscopic roundworms that eat flea larvae. Many people have had success using them in their gardens and yards to keep the flea population under control.
Under the right conditions, nematodes work quite well. They can be applied with a lawn sprayer and have been known to reduce the flea population by 80 percent in 24 hours.
More research is needed, but it seems nematodes are most effective in moist, sandy soil away from direct sunlight. The worms don’t survive in the hot sun. (Fortunately, neither do fleas.) Nematodes can be purchased at some pet stores, nurseries and online.
When a Chemical Preventive or Treatment is Unavoidable
I can’t overemphasize the need to avoid the unnecessary application of chemical products due to their known and suspected levels of toxicity.
However, if you’re faced with a situation in which you have no choice but to use a chemical pest preventive on your dog or cat, here are some ways you can reduce the danger, especially of spot-on products:
Follow dosing directions precisely. If your pet is at the low end of a dosage range, step down to the next lowest dosage. Be extremely cautious with small dogs and do not under any circumstances apply dog product to your cat.
Don’t depend exclusively on chemical treatments. Rotate natural preventives with chemical ones. An every other month rotation works well for many pet owners at my practice. Many of my clients are able to apply one round of chemicals in the spring and another in late summer and completely avoid infestation while dramatically reducing the frequency of chemicals used.
Monitor your pet closely for adverse reactions after you apply a chemical product – especially when using one for the first time.
Since your pet’s liver will be tasked with processing the chemicals that make it into the bloodstream, it can be very beneficial to give your dog or cat a supplement to help detoxify her liver. I recommend milk thistle, which is a detox agent and also helps to actually regenerate liver cells.
You can get milk thistle through your holistic vet, who should also guide you on how much to give your pet depending on age, weight and other prescribed medications. I recommend one dose daily for seven days following any flea, tick or heartworm application.
I also recommend chlorella, a super green food that is a very powerful detox agent. Your holistic vet should also advise you about how much chlorella to give your pet.
If you use both these cleansing products throughout the summer, you can help protect your pet’s liver from the toxic effects of chemical pest preventives.
The Bottom Line
No matter what combination of pest repellent systems you use, including chemical agents, your pet can still attract pests and parasites. In fact, even animals loaded with chemicals to the point of toxicosis can still, for example, acquire heartworm.
My advice is do all you can to avoid pests, relying on natural preventives as much as possible, and then have your vet run a SNAP 4Dx test every six months to check for the presence of heartworm and tick-borne diseases (Lyme, Anaplasmosis, and Ehrlichia).
Also, again thanks to the mild winter we had, I’m seeing a lot more positive fecal results for GI parasites. I recommend you have your vet check a sample of your pet’s stool twice a year as well.
Our 12-year old sheltie/schnauzer cross Roxie had a haircut this weekend. It had gotten to the point where the neighbors were asking if we had gotten a new dog, and a woman at McAllister Park called her “Scruffy”!
Here is “Scruffy” before:
Here is Roxie reemerged, and “Scruffy” has left the building:
Rick first bathed her in 11.5 pH water from our Enagic SD501, rinsed her in “beauty” water (slightly acidic) from the SD501, and then groomed her. I think she looks really cute with her first Spring haircut!
You can see for yourself what makes an Enagic SD501 so special by watching this 22 minute video: Kangen Demo, and you can get a free e-book and newsletter by clicking on the “Kangen Water for Pets” icon on the right. For a quick look, Rick set up this website: Orange Bad – Purple Good .
Dr. McMillan explores the connection between an animal’s emotions and their behavior. In other words, why our pets do what they do. He includes lots of examples from his practice, and I very much enjoyed reading them all. In one story, he talks about a 9 week old puppy named Bogie, whose pet parent was trying to house break him. She would scoop him up as soon as she caught him in the act, immediately take him outside, where he would proceed to play, nip at her ankles, anything but his business. The author explains that from Bogie’s point of view, this is wonderful! Everytime he squats in the house, his favorite person gives him lots of attention and takes him outside to play!
In the chapter “The Mind/Body Connection” he tells the story of Rico and Pablo, two cats who had lived together for 16 years. When Pablo became ill and was euthanized, Rico never was the same. A once robust kitty was now extremely ill.
The chapter “A Peaceful End” really got me as the author discusses the anxiety we pet parents have when making a decision about euthansia. From personal experience, Rick and I have been in that situation twice. One time with Cubby, a poodle/terrier mix who was suffering from liver disease. We felt we waited too long in her case. Then with Skittles, a corgi/terrier mix with throat cancer, where perhaps we were too hasty in having Skittles put down.
MARCH MADNESS HAS ARRIVED AT ADL:
BIG ADOPTION EVENTS ALL MARCH
During the entire month of March, ADL will be hosting its version of March Madness with a BIG adoption special involving the shelter’s BIG LOVABLE dogs. Dogs over 40 pounds can be adopted all month for just $40! We have large dogs for runners, walkers & yes, even large couch potato dogs. Our staff will match you with a dog to fit your lifestyle.
During the St. Patrick’s Day Holiday weekend, ADL will host a special “Lucky Dog” adoption event. On March 16 – 18, all dogs, four months of age and older will be available to adopt for just $25! Be sure to visit ADL during the St. Patrick’s Holiday weekend and find your pot of gold. Come & save the life of a shelter pet from San Antonio’s oldest true no-kill shelter. ADL’s pets will reward you with love. Your four leaf clover is at ADL! All ADL pets are sterilized, vaccinated and micro chipped.
The ADL is one of my favorite animal organizations, as they are a no-kill shelter, they are right here in the San Antonio area, and they survive on no government funds but solely on donations. If you are looking to adopt a pet, or know someone who is, the ADL is a great place to start.
Here is an article from Al Skender of BARF World. It caught my attention because Roxie, my sheltie/schnauzer cross, is a determined and dedicated barker (her nickname is barks-a-lot), and I can definitely hear a difference in her barking tones and her reasons for barking.
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“Why Does My Dog Bark?” By Al Skender
To a dog, voice and audio signals are very important. Dogs don’t speak our language and must therefore use other methods to communicate with their humans. A dog’s bark is one of the very few resources that he has to be able to effectively communicate with us. As a pet owner, it is important to understand where your dog’s bark comes from and how to be able to distinguish between a bark used as a happy, greeting, a bark used as a warning, and a bark used to tell us when something is wrong.
The Origins Of A Dog’s Bark
Barking has deep origins that trace back to the ancestorage of the wolf. In 1991, biologist and animal behaviorist Dr. Raymond Coppinger and linguist Mark Feinstein suggested that a dog is much like an immature or young wolf. While wolves may be the closest relatives to the dog, they very rarely bark. Young wolves, on the other hand, are different from adult ones as they will often bark and will do so for very different reasons. They will bark or yelp to attract the attention of their mother when they are alone or hungry and as the young wolf grows older, they will use the bark as a sign of dominance as they become more assured of themselves.
Coppinger and Feinstein believed that a domesticated dog’s behavior greatly resembles that of a young wolf and that as such, dogs never really grow into full (adult wolf) maturity. As it is already mentioned, “little wolves” have a tendancy to bark, so it comes as no surprise that domesticated dogs are also apt to do so.
However, this suggestion only explains the origin of barking but not about whether barking transmits information to other dogs and animals.
Using A Bark To Welcome Or Warn Other Animals
In 1977, biologist and animal communications expert, Dr. Eugene S. Morton published two articles in which he put forward an interesting theory about communication, that is, mutual communication. The essence of the theory was that mammals and birds will use the same rules of communication by sending out sound signals. Morton believed that high-pitched sounds, called shrilling, would signal to an approaching animal that they are indeed a friend or perhaps a weaker individual and mean no harm or threat to them. In contrast, low sounds would signal aggressive intentions towards the approaching stranger.
For the main argument, Morton cited the fact that animals and people are able to estimate the size of the enemy by his voice: large individuals produce sounds of lower frequencies than individuals with smaller body size. Based on the study of several unrelated species, Morton suggested that these rules are universal. His articles have now been universally recognized in the scientific community and animal communication researchers have begun to rely his findings.
Barking is a process that is closely associated with emotion and excitement. It has been repeatedly shown that acoustic parameters of these sounds may vary depending on the situation and the motivations. It is proved that the person evaluates the barking in accordance with the rules of Morton: low and rough barking is perceived as aggressive while barking at high frequencies is perceived as fear and despair.
The intervals between separate sounds are important, too: short intervals stain the barking with aggression, long ones sounded as notes of fear and despair or play and joy; a combination of high frequencies and long intervals is described as despair, happiness, or the game (which of three options one may hear depend entirely on the tone of the barking).
Did Humans Encourage Dogs To Bark?
For a long time there was a view among many scientists that the barking of dogs was not so much informative as it was just a “by-product” which emerged in the process of domestication. Like wolves, barking is rarely used in wild dogs and domestic dogs of certain breeds bark with pleasure, including when they communicate with their owners. Next to men, dogs would not run into the danger of being detected by their natural enemies when barking so it became more comfortable for them to use especially when trying to communicate with their owners.
Speaking about barking, one cannot forget the fact that different dog species can vary greatly in their tendencies to “talkativeness”. This is due to the fact that in some cases, people deliberately seek to breed dogs with certain acoustic properties (for example, guard dogs must notify their owner of the approach of a stranger by barking).
Barking is a natural way for a dog to express many feelings.You should not wean your dog from barking if not knowing the cause. If your dog barks with a definite and appropriate reason, you must reward it. Alternatively “idle barking” or barking to attract attention should be ignored. Most trainers agree that the carrot-and-stick policy (where you reward good behavior with a treat) has always justified itself to be successful. Of course the best way to wean your dog from barking is to teach him to bark on command and offer him the appropriate response when he behaves appropriately.
No less important is the fact that the sounds of your dog’s bark can indicate the health of your four-legged friend. It is known that the barking of dogs who suffer from pain is much more noisy than the barks uttered by healthy animals. If you have a pet that barks for no apparent reason or sounds anxious and noisy, make sure to consult your veterinarian as it may be an indication of a more serious problem.
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Al Skender is a Raw Diet Educator for BARF World Inc. He’s a self-proclaimed expert on the German Shepherd breed, owning several of them throughout his life. He enjoys being outdoors and prefers it to being stuck in front of the television, unless The Office or CSI is on. For more articles like these and to learn more about the benefits of raw food for your pets, sign up for The Intelligent Pet monthly e-zine at barfworld.com/ezine.
Here is a great article from petMD by Dr. Justine Lee: When Do I Need to Take My Dog to the ER Vet? | petMD:
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I recently had a friend ask me, in hind-sight, why their middle-aged dog died at home “suddenly.” They had noticed that their dog was “off” for a day and had a “really bad night.” In other words, their dog was collapsed, couldn’t get up, wouldn’t eat, and had a few seizures in the middle of the night (“He looked like he was going to die, with his eyes rolling into his head”).
Sadly, this dog died the following day (over 24 hours later) when it was en route to a veterinarian. Being that this dog had never seizured before, this was the dog’s clue that he needed to be taken to a vet ASAP. Not the next day. Now. In other words, as soon as you notice signs of your dog being “off,” a veterinary visit is a must. After all, your dog can’t talk to you!
Rather than be hounded for free veterinary advice post-mortem, I would have rather helped them pre … that is, before their dog actually deteriorated to the point of death.
After all, this dog’s death could have been something as simple as xylitol poisoning, with the seizures occurring secondary to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), something that is easily fixed in the ER.
News flash, people: Dogs don’t typically “die” suddenly at home, nor should they. As heart-breaking as it is, unless it’s from sudden acute internal bleeding (usually from a very aggressive cancer called hemangiosarcoma), or from pericardial effusion (abnormal blood accumulating around the heart sac), it’s something your emergency veterinarian could have treated. Some people also say that dogs will “suddenly die” of bloat — more scientifically known as gastric diliatation-volvulus (GDV) — however, I don’t believe this excuse. The clinical signs of GDV are pretty severe; after all, your dog’s stomach is twisted and needs emergency surgery.
Typically, signs of severe anxiety, pacing, attempting to vomit, a distended abdomen, and running up to you (“Take me to the veterinarian, mom!”) are your classic signs of GDV. The more advanced stages follow: collapse, not being able to move, a racing heart, and labored breathing. If you fail to miss these signs, your dog will die at home, and will suffer slowly and painfully in the process due to severe hypovolemic shock. It’s a painful and terrible way of going, folks.
As an educated pet owner, you should know that resources abound: the Internet (albeit not always the most reliable source), a phone call to your local emergency veterinarian, and your veterinarian. Often times, the receptionist or veterinary technician may be able to help triage your dog’s problem over the phone and help you decide if it warrants an emergency veterinary visit.
When in doubt, take your dog or cat to the veterinarian or emergency veterinarian. Even though it may be expensive, the $135 for the emergency fee may give you the peace of mind that all is okay. No animal should have to die at home, as the signs are typically pretty severe for this to happen. And, it’s really painful and miserable to die at home when it could have been medically treated to begin with.
Even if you have financial limitations and know you can’t spend thousands of dollars in a veterinary ER, at least you can find out (1) what’s wrong with your pet, and (2) humanely euthanize so your pet doesn’t suffer at home to the point of death.
Signs that you should take your dog to an emergency veterinarian include:
Non-productive retching
Difficulty breathing
Constant coughing
Restlessness
Pale gums
An elevated heart rate (> 160 beats per minute at home)
Crying out in pain
Not being able to move
A distended abdomen
Extreme lethargy
Any significant amounts of bleeding
Any trauma
Not walking
Dragging the back legs
Any toxin ingestion or poisoning
Squinting, bulging, or painful eyeballs
Bloody urine
Straining to urinate
While this list isn’t inclusive, if you’re concerned enough, bring ‘em in. The time is a small sacrifice for your dog’s health and your piece of mind.
Next week, signs for cats that are a “must” visit to the ER.
