A Winter Sport for Armchair Athletes: Ice Fishing With Your Dog

Posted on January 10, 2019 - 3:45 pm by
Taste of the Wild

For weeks, you and your dog have been cooped up inside, channel surfing. Isn’t it time you both went outside? Even if you’re not athletically inclined, ice fishing is the perfect sport to help break the monotony of winter. Here’s what you need to think about to help keep your dog safe and warm.

Does Your Dog Like the Outdoors?

Huskies and other arctic breeds are made for the snow, but your chihuahua, Chinese crested dog or pug, not so much. If your pup spends most of the time curled next to the radiator, they might really prefer to stay at home. For dogs with arthritis, the damp and cold can make their joints ache and slipping on the ice could lead to injury. In these cases, your dog may be more comfortable at home.

Pack Dog Gear

If you plan to be outside for any length of time, consider outfitting your dog with an insulated, waterproof coat. While it’s usually easy to walk on snow, ice can be another matter. Dog booties can provide traction and help prevent ice balls from forming in the tufts of hair between your dog’s toe pads. And don’t forget your dog’s leash.

If you’ll be inside an ice fishing house or tent, bring a blanket for your dog to cuddle into. Your pup will also need food and fresh water and perhaps a stuffed Kong to stay occupied while you’re waiting for a nibble.

Ice Safety Comes First

The ice should be fresh and clear and a minimum of 4 inches in depth for ice fishing if you’re traveling on foot, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Of course, the ice should be much thicker, 8 to 12 inches, if you plan to take a car — and more if you have a truck.

Secure Your Dog While Setting Up Camp

You don’t want your dog running out to areas of open water while you’re busy setting up your equipment. So it’s best to keep your pup in the car until you’ve got everything situated. Then take your dog for a good walk to wear off energy before you settle down to some serious angling.

Ice Fishing “Al Fresco”

If you’re fishing outdoors, remember that it can be dangerous for your dog to run loose. Dogs can fall through weak spots in the ice or into holes left by other anglers. What’s more, some people pour antifreeze, which is often toxic to dogs, into the hole to prevent ice from forming before they return.

It’s also important to be considerate of other anglers. Some may not appreciate your dog getting tangled in their fishing lines, urinating on their tent or getting into a fight with their dogs. For your dog’s safety and that of others, keep your dog on a leash or on a cable attached to a spike that’s been drilled into the ice.

If you transported your equipment on a sled, line the sled with a blanket where your dog can curl up. If not, bring a rubber-backed rug so your dog can get off the ice (especially if your dog won’t tolerate booties).

Inside the Ice Fishing House

There are plenty of dogs who can fall down a 10” ice fishing hole. Especially if they’re chasing after a flickering fish. So position their bed far enough away from the hole that they won’t be tempted to leap into the hole or pounce on a perch that’s flapping on the ice. Dogs may also be attracted to peanut butter and other types of bait on your hooks, so keep them out of your pet’s reach. Finally, keep your dog away from the heater to prevent burns.

Your dog will appreciate spending quality time with you in the great outdoors. Or almost as much as he or she will love sharing your tasty perch dinner.

Winter Cat Safety: Keeping Your Tabby Toasty

Posted on January 3, 2019 - 3:57 pm by
Taste of the Wild

Pet cats have the right idea about winter. You’ll never find them shoveling or scraping ice off a windshield. They’re more likely to be inside, basking in a sliver of sunshine. Or curled under your down comforter. Which raises the question: What else can you do to make your kitty feel cozy during the cold winter months?

Invest in feline fashion — While a hairless cat breed such as the sphynx could use a wool sweater, other cats may appreciate some extra insulation, too. Especially if you keep the heat turned down low or it’s drafty near the windows. When you choose a sweater or coat, make sure it doesn’t restrict your cat’s movement and doesn’t include beading or strings that could be chewed off and swallowed.

Make a comfy bed — The cold and damp can bring out the aches in an arthritic cat’s joints. Since cats often hide signs of illness, you may not know that your cat is in pain. In fact, one study reviewed 100 random X-rays from cats aged 6 months to 20 years, and the researchers found evidence of arthritis in 91 percent of those cats. So why not provide a padded bed to help cushion those joints, just in case?

Add a little heat — Some cat beds are designed to be self-heating, meaning they absorb your cat’s body heat and reflect it back to the cat.  Other heated beds may use heating elements that are warmed in the microwave or plugged in like an electric blanket. A word of caution: hot water bottles and other heated elements should never be placed next to a cat’s skin. To help avoid burns, there should always be at least a towel between the heat source and the cat. Also, electric beds can be dangerous if your cat urinates in the bed or chews on electrical cords.

Trim out those mats — Cats’ fur, especially if it’s long, can become matted if it’s not brushed regularly. While it may be tempting to leave the mat in place for warmth, the mat may actually have the opposite effect by not allowing air to circulate between the skin and coat. If your cat’s fur is severely matted, ask your groomer or veterinarian for help.

Heat your cat’s food — You enjoy a warm meal when it’s blustery outside. So why shouldn’t your cat? It’s easy to slightly warm canned food (make sure it’s not too hot). Or you can heat up low-sodium chicken broth and pour it over your cat’s dry food for a belly-warming treat.

Move the litter box — Do you keep the litter box in the cold basement? Then consider moving it to a warmer spot, away from drafts, just for the winter.

Help the neighborhood stray — If there’s a stray cat that frequents your yard, consider trapping it and bringing it to shelter to reduce the risk of hypothermia and frostbite. As an alternative, provide a “cat house” lined with straw that’s sheltered from the wind and snow. Make sure the house is raised off the cold ground. If the kitty takes to it, provide food and fresh water daily. That simple kindness will make you feel warmer, too.

Step Right Up: It’s Circus Dogs

Posted on December 13, 2018 - 4:29 pm by
Bringing the Fun Back to the Big Top

In its time, few things offered more entertainment in one place than the Barnum & Bailey Circus. Within three different rings, you could marvel at sword swallowers, trapeze artists, contortionists and strongmen. In addition to human entertainers, the circus showed off animal acts, enlisting animals with special talents.

In fact, the circus employed a menagerie that included trained cats, goats and sheep to monkeys, bears, lions, tigers, wolves, horses, elephants — even xylophone-playing pigs. By comparison, dogs jumping through hoops or riding horses bareback probably didn’t seem all that unusual.

Eventually, though, people began to question the ethics of animal acts (not to mention the so-called “freak shows”) and the company folded up its tents permanently in 2017.

A Better Kind of Circus

But Jeff Jenkins and Julie Jenkins felt they could put a positive spin on the circus concept, without exploiting people or animals, and founded Midnight Circus in the Parks in Chicago in 2007.

The group of artists and performers work to advance good in three ways:

  • Animal advocacy — Two rescued pit bulls, who have become Jeff and Julie’s beloved family pets, perform to help dispel negative stereotypes about pit bulls.
  • Support for Chicago parks — 100 percent of the proceeds go to the city parks, with almost $1 million raised to date.
  • Community involvement — Events are affordable, accessible and involve community leaders.

Junebug and Rosie Rae: Canine Stars

Some people have misconceptions about pit bulls, which is why the breed tends to fill Chicago shelters in greater number than other breeds. In fact, Jeff found Rosie Rae at just such a shelter. An exuberant pit bull with no socialization or training, Rosie also had irresistibly sweet eyes. Jeff didn’t hesitate to make her a part of the family.

While teaching at an anti-dogfighting event, Jeff first encountered Junebug, a pit bull that showed all the signs of mistreatment. He convinced her owner to relinquish the dog to him, then made her part of the family, too.

With patience and kindness, Jeff socialized and trained the dogs so they learned to trust people and know the love of a family. Now, the dogs are crowd favorites under the big top, zigzagging through obstacle courses and playing keep-away with Jeff’s hat. In some instances, the dogs serve as a springboard for talking about how to take better care of rescue dogs.

Clowns in Training

Another place you can find dogs jumping through hoops — all in the name of fun and positive-reward training — is at the Canine Circus School in Oakland, California.

This obedience school combines rigorous training with the fun of choreographed routines so dogs — and their owners — can bring out the performers inside of them.

Even with the negative baggage that circuses carry, today’s pet-oriented circuses are fun, creative environments that turn family entertainment into, well, one of the greatest shows on earth.

Therapy Dog Visits Brighten the Day at Nursing Homes

Posted on November 29, 2018 - 11:20 pm by
Taste of the Wild

It’s hard to say who likes the nursing home visits more: the therapy dogs or the residents. From the hands eagerly petting the soft coats to the tails banging against the floor, it’s safe to say everyone’s for it. As part of National Senior Pet Month, we’re switching it up to focus on the dogs that help our country’s senior citizens.

How Dogs Benefit Nursing Home Residents

Even if the grandkids come to visit, it’s never quite enough for those seniors living in nursing homes. Visiting therapy dogs can help ease feelings of loneliness and lift the spirits. Since most dogs are equal-opportunity lovers, they’ll park their muzzles on the nearest knee, nuzzle into palms and provide unconditional love to anyone with a soft lap and open arms.

Many seniors may have lost their spouses, or they simply miss having a dog snuggled next to them in bed. For them, visiting dogs help fulfill the simple need to touch and be touched. Dogs can also help reduce anxiety, provide comfort and even promote social interaction among other seniors.

Therapy Dogs vs. Service Dogs

Although therapy dogs provide a service to nursing homes, they’re not the same as service dogs.

Service dogs are specifically trained to make it easier for people with disabilities to perform activities of daily living. A service dog might help a person who is visually impaired to navigate the streets. Another might retrieve objects for someone who has mobility problems.

As service dogs, they are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which entitles them to accompany their handlers anywhere in public. Although they may be around people, most handlers have a “no petting” policy so the pups aren’t distracted from the job at hand.

With therapeutic visitation dogs, on the other paw, petting is generally welcomed. Most of these dogs are family pets with calm and gentle people-loving personalities. They can be purebred dogs or mutts. Their job is generally to provide comfort and psychological therapy to people other than their handlers, such as residents in nursing homes, hospitals and more.

Therapy dogs usually go through some training, but it’s not as extensive as service-dog training. And they are not protected under the ADA, so there may be limits to where they can go.

Certification and Other Requirements

Think your pup has what it takes to visit nursing homes? While therapy dogs can be trained by almost anyone, most programs usually require that dogs have at least passed the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen Test.

In addition, volunteer dogs may be required to be certified and registered for a program. Therapy Dogs International, for example, is an organization that has registered around 25,000 dog/handler teams across all 50 state of the US. The dog must pass a temperament evaluation and have a current health record.

Because nursing home residents can have compromised immune systems, it’s also important that volunteer dogs are healthy and current on vaccines and parasite control. Owners may also be required to carry liability insurance. For many volunteers and their pets, it’s a fulfilling activity to do with their dogs.

And occasionally, humans return the favor. At dog nursing homes across the country, people are caring for senior pets who need a home where they can live out the rest of their lives. It seems we all get by with a little help as we age.

Even on Hypoallergenic Food, My Pet’s Still Itching. What’s Wrong?

Posted on November 1, 2018 - 4:37 pm by
Dog scratching

You’ve plied your pet with one delectable diet after another. But the itching, scratching, licking and gnawing at the skin continue. Despite your best efforts, your pet is still miserable — and now you are, too. How can you get this food allergy under control?

The Facts About Pet Allergies

Pets can have three different kinds of allergies, all of which can lead to paroxysms of itching in dogs and cats.

With a food allergy, the pet’s immune system identifies a protein in the food, such as chicken or pork, as a foreign invader and mounts an immune response against it. This often leads to itchy skin and, for a small percentage of pets, gastrointestinal signs like vomiting or diarrhea.

But food allergies are actually very uncommon in pets. Only 0.2 percent of dogs and 0.1 percent of cats suffer from food allergies, according to the Banfield Pet Hospital 2018 State of Pet Health Report, based on medical data from more than 3 million dogs and cats examined in 2017.

Allergies that are far more common in pets include flea allergies, in which pets mount a reaction to flea saliva and environmental allergies, or reactions to pollen, mold, dust mites and other irritants. In the last decade, there’s been a 12 percent increase in flea allergies in dogs and a 67 percent increase in cats, according to the Banfield report. At the same time, environmental allergies have jumped 30 percent in dogs and 11 percent in cats.

To complicate matters, pets can be allergic to more than one thing. Thirty percent of pets with food allergies, for example, have another type of allergy that impacts the skin. And some breeds, such as Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers and cocker spaniels, can be genetically predisposed to allergies.

Getting to the Root of the Problem

The best way to help your pet is to start with a visit to your veterinarian. He or she can provide your pet with medications to help relieve the itch while you work together to determine what’s causing it. Here are diagnostic steps your veterinarian may take:

  1. Check for fleas and mites. You don’t always see fleas on your pet, and mites can only be spotted with a microscope. Your veterinarian may recommend examining your pet with a flea comb, taking a skin scrape to view under the microscope or trying a flea treatment for at least three months. If the itching stops, you have a diagnosis and there’s no need to go further.
  2. Test for bacterial and fungal infections. Both of these can cause itching and usually respond to medications.
  3. Try a food elimination diet To check for a food allergy, your veterinarian may recommend an 8- to 12-week diet trial. While there’s technically no such thing as a hypoallergenic diet, a hydrolyzed diet, in which the proteins have been broken down into pieces small enough to avoid detection by the immune system, is as close as it comes.

During the trial, it’s important that your pet doesn’t eat anything else besides the assigned diet. That means no treats, rawhides or table scraps that might contain the offending protein. If your pet’s itching improves, then gets worse when your pet is fed the original diet, a diagnosis of food allergy is typically made. Your pet will need to stay on the recommended diet for the remainder of life.

  1. Consider environmental allergies, also known as atopic dermatitis. If your pet is still itching despite the special diet, it’s likely that he or she has environmental allergies. While pets with food allergies tend to itch all year long, those with environmental allergies often experience seasonal signs.

At this point, your veterinarian can submit a blood test to determine what, exactly, your pet is allergic to, or refer you to a veterinary dermatologist for the gold standard of allergy testing, a skin test.  Based on the findings, special “allergy shots” can be developed to help your pet potentially overcome the allergy. Otherwise, there are several new medications that can help keep your pet more comfortable.

All of which goes to show that if your dog or cat is itching, there may be other things at play besides the pet food.

Cadaver Dogs Do Tough but Necessary Work

Posted on October 18, 2018 - 4:14 pm by
Human Remains Detection Is Serious Work

Sad but true: Sometimes search-and-rescue operations become recovery missions. Whether it’s a missing person, a cold case, a crime scene or a natural disaster, cadaver dogs apply their finely tuned noses to pinpoint the location of remains that help solve mysteries and bring closure to grieving families.

A Daunting Job Description

Also known as human-remains detection dogs, cadaver dogs are trained to track down the scent of decomposing human bodies or parts, including blood, bones and tissues. Dogs can find those buried deep in the ground or under collapsed buildings. Many can even explore lakes and rivers from boats, detecting drowning victims underwater.

Even when a body has been moved, some dogs can identify residue scents that indicate a body was once in that location.

The Best Candidates

Who would apply for such a gruesome job? Obviously, it has to be a dog with a superb sniffer. But the best dogs tend to have a nonstop drive to play. Trainers use these dogs’ drive to find a tennis ball or other toy to develop their abilities to search out remains.

They also must be physically fit and nimble enough to cover a wide range of terrain, through rain, snow and even darkness, for hours on end. Although Labrador retrievers and German shepherds are generally up to the task, the specific breed isn’t as important as the dog’s energy and initiative to hunt for a scent.

Training That’s Not for the Faint of Heart

Even the most ambitious pups may take 18 months to two years to become fully certified as cadaver dogs. Your own dog, for example, may seem to love all things putrid, but training can be arduous.

One reason is that there are literally hundreds of different scents that are associated with decaying bodies. A fresh body will smell different than one that’s been dead for 20 years. Flesh also rots differently in open air than does underground. Bodies decompose in different stages, emitting numerous different scents at each stage.

Since trainers may not have access to dead bodies on a regular basis, they often start puppies on synthetic scents. And yes, there’s actually a company that produces “corpse scent” available in three formulations: recently dead, decomposed and drowned victim.

Dogs are generally trained with positive reinforcement techniques, meaning they are lavished with treats or praise for finding and alerting handlers to the scents. To prevent dogs from digging or jumping at the site of the scent, potentially destroying evidence, they’re usually taught to notify their handlers by calmly laying down or sitting.

Eventually, though, dogs must be exposed to the real thing. If trainers can’t obtain human blood and or remains, they can bring dogs to outdoor forensic decomposition laboratories where dogs are exposed to actual dead bodies.

Once pups are certified as cadaver dogs, they still need to undergo regular training to maintain their skills. That way, they’re always ready to put their noses to good work, even under the most unfortunate circumstances.

Fall Pet Safety: A Checklist for the Changing Season

Posted on October 3, 2018 - 3:08 pm by
A Dog and Cat in a Pile of Leaves.

It’s the time of year when the scent of pumpkin spice wafts through the air and dogs are wont to roll in piles of crispy leaves. It’s also a great time to protect the safety and well-being of your pet from potential seasonal dangers. Here are ten items that should be on your radar:

What to Do With the Kids Back in School — With fewer playmates around, is your pet napping the day away on the couch? Consider hiring a dog walker to take your pooch on a stroll around the neighborhood during the day. Schedule a game of laser chase with your cat over your lunch hour. Or consider dropping your dog at day care so he or she can romp, socialize and burn off energy while you’re at work.

Walking in the Dark — As the days get shorter, you may find that your usual morning or evening walk takes place in the dark. Consider buying a reflective leash, collar or coat to make sure your pet is visible to nearby cars and cyclists.

Tick Checks — Just because the leaves are falling doesn’t mean the ticks are hibernating. Help keep your pet protected with regular tick prevention and thorough tick checks when they come indoors.

Allergies — People who suffer from hay fever and ragweed allergies can be miserable until the first frost. The same goes for pets who have environmental allergies. If your pet is itching, scratching or chewing on his or her skin, consult your veterinarian for medications that can help bring your pet relief.

Fur Coat Care — Many pets shed more in the fall as their winter coat comes in. Take the time to brush your pet regularly, so there will be less to clog your vacuum cleaner.

Bundle Up — As the mercury drops, dogs and cats who have thin coats or are hairless can start to shiver. To keep them toasty, stock up on pet sweaters or booties before the first snowflake appears.

Human Cold and Flu Medications — In this season of sniffles and sneezes, remember that your over-the-counter drugs may contain potentially dangerous ingredients for pets.

Acetaminophen can be problematic to dogs but especially toxic to cats, where it can lead to liver failure and poor oxygen delivery to the body. Ibuprofen and naproxen, often combined with decongestants, can cause ulcers or liver and kidney damage. And certain decongestants, in high doses, can cause seizure and death in pets. Why risk it? It’s best to keep all cold and flu meds out of the reach of curious pets.

Wild Mushrooms — Although many wild mushrooms aren’t toxic, some common backyard species can be poisonous and even deadly if eaten by dogs and cats. For example, as little as half of a fresh “death cap” mushroom (Amanita phalloides) can be fatal to an adult dog.

To see photos of other poisonous mushrooms, check out this slideshow. But since many mushrooms can look alike, it may be simpler to remove them from your yard and keep pets on a leash when hiking in the woods.

Other Four-Legged Creatures in Your Home — When there’s a chill in the air, rodents are drawn inside where it’s warm and there’s plenty to nibble in your cupboard. Make sure to place rodenticides out of your pet’s reach. Depending on the type of poison, they can lead to internal bleeding, kidney failure, seizures and death if eaten by pets.

Antifreeze and Windshield Deicers — Are you getting your car ready for winter? Antifreeze and other car products may contain ethylene glycol. Many dogs and cats find its sweet taste inviting, but ingesting a large enough amount can lead to kidney failure. Be sure to clean up any spills on the garage floor and lock all car products away from wandering pets.

With a little planning, you can help protect your pet from seasonal incidents. And that should make you feel as warm and comfortable as your new flannel shirt.

5 Ways to Celebrate National Dog Week

Posted on September 20, 2018 - 3:29 pm by
It’s Their Week! Make It a Good One.

“The world likes dogs because dogs are nearest to moral perfection of all living things,” according to Captain William Judy, who founded National Dog Week in 1928.

The ordained minister, World War I veteran and publisher of the late Dog World magazine chose the last week in September as a time to honor that enduring bond between dogs and humans. Wondering how you can celebrate National Dog Week this September 23–29, 2018? We have some suggestions:

Commit to Daily Walks (if you haven’t done so already). Short of begging for cheese, is there any activity your dog adores more than walking with you? The mere mention of the word “walk” will no doubt have your dog quivering in anticipation at your feet.

Whether it’s a hike in the woods or a short stroll around the neighborhood, daily exercise is good for your dog’s health — as well as for yours. Walks give your dog the opportunity to read “peemail” from other canines, meet new people and just spend quality time with you. Can’t get away from work? Hire a dog walker to stop by your house or drop your pup at doggy day care for a play date.

Donate to a Local Shelter or Dog Rescue. There are lots of dogs out there waiting for forever homes. You can help get them there by donating time, money, food, beds, towels or other items — just contact the organization and ask what they need most.

You can also volunteer to foster a dog (that is, if your dog is OK with it). Fostering is a great way to open your home and your heart to a dog in need. And who knows, it could turn out to be a great playmate for your own dog.

Take a Dog-Friendly Vacation. There’s no better time to hike in the woods or jog on the beach. And who better to join you than your loyal canine companion? With so many hotels and rental homes that are happy to accommodate dogs, it’s easier than ever to explore the world with your pooch.

Schedule a Health Checkup. While a visit to the veterinarian probably isn’t your dog’s favorite activity, it does provide you with the peace of mind that you’re doing everything to protect your pet’s health. In addition to performing a physical exam and possibly laboratory work, your veterinarian can advise you on nutrition, behavior and other factors that can help prolong your dog’s lifespan.

It’s also a good time to consider investing in pet health insurance so you won’t have to think twice about getting medical help when it’s needed.

Splurge on Something Special. Why not throw a “dog party” and invite your pet’s canine pals for supervised Frisbee throws, a dip in the kiddy pool and homemade dog cookies in your backyard? Maybe now’s the time to adorn your walls with a professional photo or painting of your pooch. Or simply buy your dog a new toy and devote time to a game of fetch.

Whatever you do, take time this week to show your dog how much you love him or her. After all, “the most loyal thing in the world is your dog,” according to Will Judy. “Whether you come home from Congress or from jail, whether you have lost your fortune or made a million, whether you return home dressed in fashion’s heights or in rags, whether you have been hailed as a hero or condemned as a criminal, your dog is waiting for you with a welcome bark of delight, a wagging tail and a heart that knows no guile.”

The Ethics of “Saving” Sick or Aging Pets: How Do You Know When to Let Go?

Posted on August 16, 2018 - 12:33 pm by
Ethics of “saving” sick or aging pets

Sir Walter Scott was not only a prolific poet and novelist, he was also “perhaps the most devoted dog lover that ever was,” according to a New York Times article published in 1898. In paintings, he is almost always portrayed with a dog. And his deerhound, Maida, is immortalized in the monument of Scott in Edinburgh, forever curled at his side.

Scott lamented about the brief lives of his canine companions: “I have sometimes thought of the final cause of dogs having such short lives and I am quite satisfied it is in compassion to the human race; for if we suffer so much in losing a dog after an acquaintance of ten or twelve years, what would it be if they were to live double that time?”

It’s a loss that all dog and cat lovers have to face at some point. But how do you know when it’s time to let go of your companion? And when can euthanasia, in fact, be the most kind and loving choice?

The Dilemma of Sick and Old Pets

Pets are living longer than ever before, thanks to advances in nutrition and veterinary medicine — and perhaps because more now sleep in our beds, rather than outside. And many of the same life-extending procedures available for humans can also be offered for pets. From brain surgery and chemotherapy to hip replacements and kidney transplants, there’s almost nothing you can’t do for your pet (at a price, of course).

But like human medicine, most of these advanced measures rarely come with guarantees of how much life — or quality of life, considering potential drug side effects or hospitalizations — they’ll buy for our pets.

Even if the pet is simply grey around the muzzle and slowing down from a degenerative disease, a common phenomenon in older pets, at what point is medical poking and prodding helping the pet or hindering comfort and happiness?

Subtract Your Emotions from the Equation

While these questions never have black-and-white answers, what makes them even harder is the fact that your pet is a loved family member, bound inexplicably to your heart. But perhaps the kindest thing you can do is to put aside how you feel and focus instead on how your pet feels. How can you minimize your pet’s suffering and make sure their remaining time is physically and mentally rewarding? To help accomplish this, there are numerous quality-of-life surveys, like this one, that help you objectively evaluate whether your pet is enjoying life or having a hard time of it.

You can also keep a daily diary to determine if your pet is having more bad days than good. Or select three of your pet’s favorite activities, whether it’s slurping up peanut butter, chasing a laser or retrieving the squeaky toy, and note when your pet loses the interest or ability to do the things he or she loves.

The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement also offers resources and online chats to help you grapple with the difficult decision.

It’s Always a Personal Decision

Your veterinarian can be an invaluable resource in terms of evaluating your pet’s comfort level or simply serving as a sounding board to discuss how you feel. But inevitably, only you and your family can decide what’s right for your pet.

Knowing when to let go is, without a doubt, the toughest part of being a pet parent. But it’s also one of the most loving and compassionate ways we can repay our pets for a life of devoted companionship.

Picky Pets: Does Yours Have a Discriminating Palate?

Posted on August 2, 2018 - 10:29 am by
Prey Pet Food

Some pets hoover up every morsel in their food bowls. Others hold a hunger strike until sliced turkey with gravy appears.

Just how much does your pet’s sense of taste play into his or her food choices? And how do you know when they’re just being picky or it might be a sign of a health problem?

The Complicated Science of Taste

The flavors you crave may not be those favored by your dog or cat, and vice versa (when was the last time you had a hankering for squirrel or mouse?).

One reason for the discrepancy is that humans have about 9,000 taste buds, geared to sensing sweet, sour, salt, bitter and savory. By comparison, dogs have about 1,700 taste buds and cats make do with a measly 470. While cats have no ability to taste sweet, both dogs and cats can taste water, a nuance that people lack.

Scent also plays a role in taste. As much as 80 percent of what we taste is attributed to smell, according to scientists. (Ever notice how bland everything tastes when you’re stuffed up with a head cold?) Given that the canine nose is up to 100,000 times more powerful than the human schnoz, a dog’s sense of smell no doubt impacts how flavors are perceived. Finally, texture may influence what types of food your pets prefer. Some like crunchy tidbits while others prefer moist canned foods.

Measuring Taste Preferences

Obviously, palatability is a major concern for pet food manufacturers, because even the most nutritious diets aren’t effective if the pet won’t eat them.

To measure taste preferences, scientists often observe dogs and cats to see which foods they sniff first. They may employ sensing instruments known as e-noses and e-tongues that are capable of measuring organic compounds that release lip-smacking aromas. Or they may offer two bowls of food in head-to-head “pet food challenges” to determine which one Sadie prefers.

Feeling Punk or Just Picky?

Despite all this testing, some pets may turn their noses up at the food bowl. If this happens for any length of time, especially if you notice other signs such as weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea, it’s time for a trip to the veterinary clinic.

Loss of appetite can be the first sign of a medical condition such as dental, gastrointestinal, kidney or liver disease, toxin ingestion, anxiety or even a digestive tract obstruction. If your pet simply has an upset stomach, your veterinarian may recommend feeding a bland diet, such as boiled hamburger and rice for a few days.

Cats, especially, should not go without eating for more than a day or two. Any longer and they can develop fatty liver disease, which can further tank the appetite.

Other Possible Causes

If your veterinarian doesn’t find an underlying disease or condition behind your pet’s lack of appetite, there may be other issues at play:

  • Bad food — Exposure to heat, daylight and air can make some food go rancid or stale. Check to make sure there aren’t any ants or other insects in the food. To be safe, observe proper food storage measures.
  • Treats — Is everyone in the family sneaking Sparky cheese and table scraps? Perhaps your pet is already full. The more you offer bologna and other goodies, the more likely your pet will become a beggar and reject the normal food until you bring out the “good stuff,” compromising your pet’s well-balanced diet.

Leading Them to the Food Bowl

To help entice your pet to eat, you can add water or low-sodium chicken broth to the food to create gravy. Warming the food may also generate an inviting aroma.

However, if you think your dog is holding a food-bowl standoff to manipulate you into bringing out the peanut butter and cheese, a tough-love approach may be in order.

Feed a diet that your dog has eaten in the past; if it remains in the bowl 20 minutes later, remove it and don’t offer food until the next meal. At that time, provide a fresh scoop of the same food. Don’t give in to those big brown eyes. If your dog still refuses the food in a day or two, see your veterinarian.