Not All of The Good Ones Are on Television

Rebates, sales, deals, two-fors; with so much selling it can be overwhelming to decipher what to buy. Canine behavior is often an emotionally charged topic. Training styles, rights vs. wrongs, science vs. instinct.

The great ones are often in the trenches just quietly getting the job done. They may not waive their list of elite clientele in your face; they may not run around saying “I’m so great, look at me”; they may not have entertaining television shows, they may not throw out catch phrases only fit for t-shirts. No, they are dedicated to their work instead of collecting accolades. The downside is that their message may be overlooked because they aren’t begging to be on television.  

Dr. Suzanne Hetts is a national behaviorist dedicated to educating the pet owner how to safely and effectively rehabilitate dogs. Pets.com is her collaboration with Petsmart to make correct behavior modification accessible. This site includes interactive guides such as a true/false quiz, educational answers, videos, and interactive exercises to help pet owners interpret pet behavior.

Think you understand what dominance is and how the mind of a dog works? Visit www.drsophiayin.com/dominance.php/. Dr. Sophia Yin is fluent in dog and cat. There is a great wealth of behavior articles, blog, and videos to understand proper training. 

No, they may not be the glamorous, attention grabbing media darlings that are being pushed right now. They don’t use smoke, mirrors, and abuse to get their jobs done. Just simple people doing the job. The right way.

chris

Breast Cancer Canine Agility Run Throughs Commerce, Michigan

If anyone wants to try their pup in agility or just come do a run
through my agility instructor is opening her yard up (fully fenced) for
the next few weekends to help raise money.  She lives in Commerce TWP. Right by Novi and the Universal Artist Theater!
-Angie

Here is her original email.....


I have a friend who is walking in the Michigan Breast Cancer 3 Day (60
miles) to help raise awareness and money to find a cure for breast
cancer. The walk is August 14 – 16. To help her raise money, I have
decided to open up my agility field for practice the next three weekends
– Friday, Saturday and Sunday (July 24, 25, 26, 31 and Aug 1, 2, 7, 8,
9). The fee for your practice is up to you. There will be a jar for your
donation. If you write a check, please make it out to: The Breast Cancer
3 Day. Time for your practice: As long as there is daylight. Since this
is a “drop-in” practice, you may need to share the space or work out a
schedule with whoever is waiting.

Location: 30915 Haggerty, Novi 48377. The site has easy access to I696
and M5

If you are unable to come and practice and would like to donate, you can mail me a
check to the above address.  For more information please call 248-669-4501 ask for Roz or check out http://www.club-pet.net/

Also, please feel free to pass this information on – the more money
collected means the closer we are to a cure, because “Everyone Deserves
a Lifetime.”

Roz

Being Your Pet's Advocate

The medical industry is a scary entity. They use big words, foster an air of secrecy, and seem to have endless power over us. Doctors and Veterinarians can have ego issues and talk down to lay people. They can make us feel stupid. They can make us feel like we are inconveniencing them. I say TOO BAD!!!

Whether it is in the human or the veterinary field, many in medicine have forgotten whom they serve. Their knowledge and expertise is a gift to help keep us healthy, not to be divisive. How is a person not trained in medicine supposed to hold their own?  

It may not seem fair, but you must educate yourself. You must ask questions. If you don’t understand terminology, ask! If you don’t understand treatment options, ask! You are an essential element in the patient’s treatment. Whether authorizing an estimate for treatment or carrying out orders for home care, you must understand why this is the best way to proceed.  

Medical people sometimes cringe when they hear “I read on the internet…” Buyer beware. The internet is packed with useful information that is very empowering. Part of the appeal, as well as the danger, is that anyone can post anything. Many times this information is credible. As with anything, just be careful.  

You are your pet’s only voice. This can be true with humans, also. When someone is ill they may not be thinking clearly or analytically. If a treatment option does not make sense to you, question it. If you don’t get resolution, or don’t feel comfortable, take action. You may need a second, third, or even a fourth opinion. Sometimes a very talented veterinarian just can’t get past their ego and personality clashes can happen. This will impede the healing process and must be taken into consideration. You are an important part of the medical team. If you can’t all work together family member/owner, doctor/veterinarian, and patient a change must be considered.  

Bottom line is don’t be afraid to be an active participant in your patient’s treatment. Don’t be afraid of the process. Just because you didn’t go to medical school does not mean that you have nothing to contribute. It is a team effort to bring about healing.  

chris

There is No I in Team

I have an extensive resume. I have worked at some great clinics and I have worked with the badest of the bad. What I have come to understand is that the clinic is parts of a whole. If any of the parts are off, the whole suffers.  

Dr. Morris encourages her technicians to constantly learn and grow. The other day during a consultation she asked me if I understood why she was using a certain drug protocol. Now in many clinics techs are hired guns that have various ranges of medical knowledge, but they mostly carry out the orders of the veterinarian. Many vets feel threatened and even offended if a “lowly” tech were to question or suggest a treatment plan. While this may give an owner an inflated sense of confidence that the vet has all of the answers it shuts down many valuable suggestions in patient treatment.  

It is overwhelming to remember all of the various diseases, symptoms, treatments, side effects, breed dispositions, drug interactions, available medications…….whew just writing that made me tired. Start to finish it can be an exhausting process working up a single medical case. Why is this organ failing? What medication will be the best without causing other problems? Imagine not just having one vet in on your case, but an entire team reminding each other of conflicts and improvements? Now that is getting your money’s worth. An open dialog means that the patient gets the benefit of a vet with years of schooling and experience, as well as techs that keep tabs on new products, plans, equipment, etc that keep them healthy. A high quality vet takes pride in her own skills as well as those of his/her team.  

chris

Action Plan for Incapacitated Pet Owner

Remember when you planned to have that heart attack? You know the one that you penciled in on your calendar? No? What? You don’t plan your emergencies in advance? Of course not! No one knows when bad things are going to happen. Well, if we can’t plan the emergency, we can plan how to handle the emergency when it occurs.

Recently we had a local utility company call with an unknown, possible patient of our hospital. 4 employees later, we eventually identified the client/patient. The back story is the utility company contaminated the husband/wife client’s house with a toxic substance. The clients were escorted out of the house that minute, the house quarantined, the pets left to fend. Later that day work crews collected the pets and they were brought to us for emergency boarding.  

Certainly this circumstance is extreme. Many of our clients say “I could never board Deogee. I just couldn’t”. This is fine when you are making decisions not to go sailing off to the Caribbean, but not practical in other circumstances. What if both owners have to be hospitalized at the same time? What if you go out of town and your pet sitter becomes ill? What if Deogee and Fluffy hold a wild party, get in over their heads and just need help? 

While you have time research boarding facilities in case you ever need them. Make sure that if something were to happen to your family that the facility can take your pets. This is especially important in the matter of exotic pets. You may love the family snake, however, finding a facility that loves them as much as you may prove difficult. Designate an outside family member, friend, or neighbor to be your “pet guardian”. Make sure they know your wishes as to finances for medical care, contact information for the pets’ veterinarian, where to board the pets, and a key to your house. I would also recommend keeping a current copy of your pets’ vaccine status and medication list in case your veterinarian is unreachable. Have pet carriers and leashes organized and available and their location listed in your designated plan for emergency workers to use. You must also devise a way to get your plan to a stranger that may need to enter your house in an emergency capacity. Tape quick reference cards of your plan including how many and which types of pets you have and contact information to pet’s carriers, visible somewhere obvious in your home, and in your purse or wallet. Some simple planning now can ease your worried mind later.
   
chris

Euthanasia’s Place in Pet Ownership

No matter how many years you work in vet medicine euthanasia never gets “routine”. Certainly there is the procedural stuff: signing the papers, going over what to expect, giving the injections, these things don’t change. However, watching people at their most vulnerable, their most painful is often excruciating. We often feel so helpless. We want to waive a magic wand and grief be gone. The flip side of watching is participating. Most of us who are good at comfort draw from a place of personal experience.  

Everyone has their opinions about the place of euthanasia. Some people see it as letting their pet down; some see it as killing their pet; some see it as giving up; many see it as relieving suffering.  

When you choose to have furry companions, at some point you will hurt. This is an unavoidable fact. Your heart will be ripped out, trampled on, and you will feel lost. Grief stinks, sometimes choices stink, and when it is put on you you are going to feel guilt. I know all about that war of head vs. heart. Just when you have made peace with your decision, Fido will have a good day. He won’t seem in as much pain. He will eat well. He will wag his tail just like he used to. Well you can’t very well do it now. You will be cheating him (and yourself) out of good time. Maybe tomorrow……..

These are the tormented thoughts of love and the forestalling of pain. Dr. Morris says it is better to end it too soon than too late. So, instead of thinking about all of the things you may be missing out on think about all of the things your pet will have to endure. At 2pm he may be chowing like a mad bunny, but what about midnight when he is struggling just to get his next breath? He brought you the ball and dropped it at your feet because he just LIVES for a toss, but all too soon he can’t get up because his hips hurt so badly. The numbers on a piece of paper tell you that his body is drowingin in toxins, his organs are failing, and he must be in pain, but he looks at you with THOSE EYES!  

Maybe you do make the decision too soon. You may have lost out on days, hours, precious moments, but what you have saved him is immeasurable. Pets rarely die peacefully in their sleep, at home. When their weary bodies cannot keep them going, when their organs have nothing left to give, they die. I love my fur friends too much to put my needs ahead of theirs. A kind, painless, humane euthanasia is the last gift I can give. I will put aside my agony to ease theirs. This is the sad responsibility of pet ownership; to be there at the beginning, the middle, and at the end when they are counting on you the most. It takes massive amounts of bravery, strength, and love. Their suffering is at an end while yours is just beginning.

chris

What is Good Dog Food?

If you ask your veterinarian what to feed your pet chances are they will say “Something with quality ingredients that is well balanced.” What does that mean? Not all foods are created equal; this goes for companies as well as ingredients. Folks, it isn’t about name recognition. Don’t be fooled by longevity in the industry. The Frito Lay Company has been around since 1932 and I don’t think many physicians are too grateful.  

Let’s take a look at 2 labels: 

#1 Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Oatmeal, Ground Barley, Ground Brown Rice, Tomato Pomace, Rye Flour, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a natural source of Vitamin E), Tomatoes, Rice Bran, Deboned Whitefish, Natural Chicken Flavor, Carrots, Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Apples, Blueberries, Ground Flaxseed, Ground Millet, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Minerals [Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite], Vitamins [Beta-Carotene, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement], Choline Chloride, Taurine, Mixed Tocopherols (a natural preservative), Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Chicory Root Extract, Garlic, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Green Tea Extract, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation products.

#2 Ground Whole Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, Ground Wheat, Meat And Bone Meal, Animal Fat (Preserved With Bha/Bht), Wheat Flour, Lamb, Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Natural Flavor, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Dicalcium Phosphate, Vegetable Oil (Source Of Linoleic Acid), Caramel Color, Dried Beet Pulp, Titanium Dioxide, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Dl-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate [Source Of Vitamin E], L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate [Source Of Vitamin C*], Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Biotin, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement [Vitamin B2], Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Potassium Iodide), Added FD&C And Lake Colors (Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Blue 2, Red 40).

Which would you rather eat or serve to your family? List #2 has mystery meat meal, generic animal fat preserved with Bha/Bht (do a search on those lovely disease causers), and the first ingredient is corn. The first ingredient is like a cover of a book. It sets the tone. The first five ingredients are the basic make up of the food. #2 also has poor sources of carbs and plenty of unpronounceable chemicals and coloring agents. While foods must be preserved for shelf life and safety, there are quality preservatives and then there are cheap, scary ones. We’re also sticklers for the use of whole meats from named species of animals (i.e., chicken rather than poultry; beef rather than “meat”) and meals made from whole meats from named species (chicken meal rather than poultry meal). All animal proteins (even by-products, which tend to be of lower quality than muscle meats) have more to offer dogs (and especially cats) than plant-derived proteins, especially wheat gluten and corn gluten. What are the sources for their meat proteins? Are they human grade (currently there is no regulation on this term as used in the pet food industry)? Is it beaks picked up from the killing floor? Less expensive foods get their meat/fat sources from rendering plants. If you want a really good eye opener check out the article on rendering plants at http://www.naturalcanines.com/gpage8.html . This may be obvious in your 40lbs for $4 dog food, but it may also be how your 20lbs for $15 brand of food was made.  

Nutrition is about more than filling our pet’s stomachs. It is about nourishing them. Nutrition plays such a big part in who our animal companions become. GOOD nutrition helps to keep their bones and muscles strong, their coats glossy, and even their personalities more stable. With proper nutrition, pets are even able t cope with stress better. This means quality meat, fat, and carbohydrate sources.  

Bad:                                                                       

• ANIMAL FAT/DIGEST/                  
  BYPRODUCTS
• MEAT/MEAT MEAL                            
• CORN/GLUTEN MEAL                      

Good:

• FLAXSEED,CANOLA,SAFFLOWER OIL
• CHICKEN, LAMB
• MILLET,BARLEY,SWEET POTATOES,BROWN RICE
  

In all fairness, quality don’t come cheap. It also aint stocked at the Kroger. Whatever your choice to feed is, know what you are feeding and why you are feeding it. Understand that sometimes you will look into the bank account and have to cut corners by purchasing lesser quality food. However, be an informed consumer and make this decision based on fact not misleading information. Don’t just listen to the guy at the pet store, your neighbor, or the really cute commercial. Realize that you do get what you pay for.  

Chris

Cesar Milan and Merial

Starting in Mid July the drug company Merial will be launching an advertising campaign endorsing celebrity dog trainer Cesar Milan. You will be seeing his image purported to be the face of the veterinary community. Let me say emphatically that he is not!

We at Morris Hospital will have no part in this marketing gimmick. Morris Hospital strives to provide the best care, services, medications, and support to both our clients and their pets. Our goal is to offer quality, compassionate medical care, and when necessary to align with credible, quality industry professionals. 
 
We have voiced our great displeasure at this campaign and are doing everything in our power to prevent this poorly designed campaign to ever air. We have signed the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/AVSABCMX/petition.html. We have contacted Merial Veterinary Technical Support 1-888-637-4251 option 3 or Merial, Attn: Corporate Communications, 3239 Satellite Boulevard, Building 500, Suite 400, Duluth, GA 30096. However, when we voiced our disgust to Merial we were told that many people, clients and vets alike, have not been properly educated why his methods are so outdated, harmful, and that he sells. So far they have not seemed to care about the dissent from the veterinary community, choosing instead to support financial gain. So in that vein, let us take a moment to educate you.
  
Behavior is like medicine. There are good doctors who are great healers, and there are bad doctors who have no right to ever touch patients. It is also like parenting. There must be rules; there must be rewards; there must be consequences, but there MUST be a meeting of the minds for learning to take place. After decades of study, scientists constantly have to re-evaluate what we know to be true about the canine mind. Despite what science teaches us about learning behavior there are some dog trainers who cling to the same old myths and fallacies.  

At one time we thought that we had to be tough and use physical muscle to "keep our dogs in line". We were all misinformed about what aggression meant and how to handle it. We were labeled irresponsible owners if we weren't harsh and unforgiving with growling. If a dog didn't drop the second we said down, in our most stern, take no prisoners demeanor, the dog was defying and trying to dominate us. If I had a nickel for ever time I heard the word "dominance" incorrectly tied to canine behavior we would not be having this little conversation. I would be on my own island in Tahiti.  

Folks, it is no wonder that trainers like Cesar Milan are respected. He gets results. Let me make this clear: his methods work! But, I ask you, at what cost? Crime rates are very high in financially depressed areas. Gang violence is rampant. Gangs rule by fear and intimidation. If you fight back you are beaten, your property damaged or stolen, or you are killed. Wow, if fear and intimation is such a powerful tool why not let our country be ruled by this method? It works. If I am strong and powerful, I make the rules, I control all of the resources-what you can own, how you can use it- I will create consequences when you mess up, shouldn't I be in control? No, absolutely not!

This misguided campaign has dredged up a beautiful example of Milan’s poor understanding of canine behavior. Under the aggression tab “Working with a Wolf” at http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/player.html?channel=39678 highlights just how little Milan knows about dogs. He throws around jargon and explanations about how his abusive behavior is necessary and is actually helping the dog. Whether you believe in his style of training or not, he has set this dog up to fail. He puts the dog in an impossible situation where the dog reacts, then kicks and chokes the dog until it nearly passes out from lack of oxygen. In case you don’t understand what you are watching, it is much like the same last moments of David Carradine’s life before he “accidentally” died. Milan is lucky to have the dog live through his abuse. He inappropriately labels the dog as expending energy - wouldn’t you if you felt your life was in danger? He pins the nearly asphyxiated dog to the ground so it can calm itself. He then reasserts his expertise and excuses the rough handling by telling the owner that their dog is now “submissively calm” when other dog professionals would instead call it 'emotional shutdown' through such a heightened level of fear or distress.

Dr. Nicholas Dodman, Director of Animal Behaviour Clinic at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine said: “Cesar Milan’s methods are based on flooding and punishment. The results, though immediate, will only be transitory. His methods are misguided, outmoded, in some cases dangerous and often inhumane. You would not want to be a dog under his sphere of influence. The sad thing is the public does not recognize the error of his ways"  

Smoke and mirrors make for good entertainment. They don’t make for correct, humane dog training. Training a few celebrity dogs doesn’t make someone an expert. Celebs often pass of their children to nannies and caregivers. Do you really want their recommendation? Cesar Milan is to canine behavior what Jerry Springer is to legitimate journalism. He offers a fast food approach to dog training: quick, now, and eventually destructive. Mr. Milan is very charismatic and very charming. He may be a good person, and what he is trying to accomplish is admirable. However, his methods are out of date, out of touch, and out of place in today’s world.  

If you have any questions about proper dog training or are seeking an ethical, effective trainer please contact Morris Hospital for Veterinary Services at WWW.MORRISVET.COM/. We can point you in the direction of a behaviorist or trainer that will meet your needs, and solidify the bond between your family and your dog.