Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with canine

Parvovirus: odds of a puppy getting it?

zippy — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:34:45 -0800

I understand the danger parvovirus poses to puppies, but what are the odds of a puppy contracting the disease in the US (specifically Alameda County, California)? I have been reading about parvovirus in dogs (including this discussion), and understand how serious the illness is.

What I can't seem to find is any indication of risk or prevalance. What are the odds a dog will get parvo, and how many cases of it are there a year in my area?

The more mathematical and bounded the answer, the better. I know I can't be assured to the fifth decimal place about anything, but I want to know: Parvo, this terrible disease, are the odds 1%, 10%, or 100%?

More details below, in the hope that they may allow more exact bounding of the answer.

My dog is five weeks old. He was one of the larger dogs in the litter (with two or three brothers and a sister), which I understand tends to confer longer maternal immunity. I intend to start him on a full vaccine series for parvo.

He's 3/4 Australian Cattle Dog, 1/4 Fox Terrier. He was born in a remote rural area of Humboldt County, California, and as of a few days ago now lives in a semi-urban area in Alameda County.

I keep him mostly indoors, with trips to the back and front yard for exercise. I understand that completely preventing exposure to parvo is impossible (as the virus hardy and survives for long periods in the soil), but also that minimizing exposure to parvo greatly reduces the chances for infection.

I would like to know:

How common is parvo in Humbolt County and in Alameda County? Or, if these specific numbers aren't available, then whatever numbers are available for California or the US. A link to numbers of cases per year would be ideal.

What are the odds of a puppy getting parvo between the ages of 5 and 16 weeks if he's allowed to socialize with a: known dogs (with shots), or b: occasionally visit parks and meet other non-wild dogs.

Links to scholarly papers are fine, and links to the dog equivalent to the CDC would also appreciated.

If this is too specific, or if there isn't enough information, please let me know. Also, I do know how bad the illness itself is.

How much did it cost to treat your dog for canine influenza or shelter cough when you adopted?

itsonreserve — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:49:57 -0800

How much did it cost to treat your dog for canine influenza or shelter cough when you adopted? We are currently looking to adopt a dog, and one with either canine influenza or shelter cough (the vet will have the answer by Thursday next week) has fallen into our laps. Essentially, it needs a foster home immediately so as not to infect other dogs, and we would intend to adopt the dog after fostering it when it was better. I'm just wondering what the treatment entailed and how much it cost for you, since Googling has had answers ranging from warm baths and baby aspirin to antibiotics, and seems to be of little help.

What happens if we don't give our dog chemo?

misskaz — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 09:11:03 -0800

My dog has just been diagnosed with lymphoma. For various reasons, my husband and I are probably not going to do the chemo and radiation treatments outlined by the oncologist. If you have made a similar choice with your pet, can you tell me what happened? Our dog is the sweetest, most wonderful 10.5 year old greyhound. The form of lymphoma she has (T-cell) is more aggressive and resistant to chemo than the more common form of lymphoma. Given her age (although before this she's never acted or felt like a senior dog), the cost, the potential for it to not work at all, the emotional trauma for us and the physical trauma for her, and everything else, we are probably not going to try the chemo and radiation treatments. We have heard that prednisone can keep the swelling down and her appetite up for a little while, so we may try that. The one really swollen lymph node was already removed a couple weeks ago when we and the vets thought it was just a stubborn infection. (The first biopsy only showed an infection.) That's when they found a mass on her tongue and the subsequent biopsies revealed the cancer.

She has been somewhat lethargic for a while now, and we have to encourage her to eat. It seems like she will eventually eat a regular amount of food, but does it in several small meals rather than wolfing it all down at once. Unfortunately, with the antibiotics and surgery and everything else (she had a hard time eating dry food prior to the surgery, so we had to try soaking, pureeing into a gruel with a blender, etc.), she has lost a few pounds and as a greyhound, she doesn't carry much extra weight. She still seems happy and loves being with us and cuddling. She doesn't play as much on her own, but still gets excited to see her doggy and human friends.

Basically, we want to know what to expect in terms of her health - Will she have a long, slow decline or feel mostly ok before things go downhill quickly? What signs should we look for that she's unhappy or in pain? What kind of treatments, medicine, foods, etc. are available/should we be prepared for in terms of pallative care? We know that the timeline without treatment is short, but we just want to be prepared. If you have had the misfortune of a lymphoma diagnosis in your pet, and chose not to do chemo, would you mind sharing your experience?

By the way, we do have a call in to the oncologist to ask these questions as well - hopefully we can get some answers without having to pay for another consultation, but we will pay if needed. We know that chemo in dogs doesn't have as bad side effects as in people because it is administered at lower doses, but we think (hope) we are making the right decision here.

Poodle Attempts to Destroy Household Harmony! Barking and Peeing Popular Weapons!

amelioration — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:52:45 -0800

Help us de-neurose, de-jealous-ize my cranky canine please! I have a 3.5 year old male (neutered) standard poodle (see the muppety cuteness here). I also have a boyfriend of a year and a half (whose cuteness I am not authorized to share). The Poodle, he does not like the Boyfriend. Not one little bit.

It all started on our fourth date. Poodle went directly from "hey, you're a fun and interesting new visitor" to "oh god bad man hate hate hate." Poodle has never been aggressive, but whenever Boyfriend arrives at house Poodle initiates the following sequence: 1) Bark wildly, 2) Run and hide, while continuing to bark wildly, 3) Quiet down, but continue hiding, 4) Maybe, just maybe, be in the same room, but spend all time staring warily at the bad, bad man.

Poodle is very territorial, but doesn't have problems with people in general (or anyone else at all, specifically). Since the arrival of Boyfriend in our lives 1.5 years ago, he's gotten to be wary of tall men, but chills out once he realizes that that tall man isn't Boyfriend. He is crated during the day, and loves his crate -- it's clear he considers that a safe space, which I think is good.

This has been going on, as I said, for a year and a half. Boyfriend spent 2 to 4 nights a week here. Last week, we commenced cohabitating (in my, and Poodle's, house). In the past 24 hours, Poodle has begun doing some submissive peeing when Boyfriend gets too close. Y'know, like when Boyfriend's got the leash in hand and is offering to take Poodle for a walk.

We're searching desperately for any suggestions on how to mitigate this situation. Things that we have tried thus far include:
1. Bribery! Dogs love snacks, right? Well... not this one. Poodle would rather forgo the tasty bit of steak than get within 4 feet of Boyfriend.
2. Boyfriend has taken over feeding duties for Poodle. Occasionally augmented with a delicious drizzling of bacon grease on the kibble. This has been the case for the last week or so. No lessening of the ohmygodbadman attitude.
3. Ignoring Poodle. Maybe if we don't reinforce the behavior it'll go away? Ummmmm... no.
4. What I like to call "Corporal Cuddling." Essentially, I'll grab Poodle for some cuddles, Boyfriend will also rub on him. Poodle will enjoy the attention, but run, run, run like the wind as soon as he can.
5. Playing! Hooray for a dog's favorite toys! Oh, wait, no. Poodle will not behave playfully when Boyfriend is around. No way. Altogether too risky for a Poodle, clearly.
6. Walks! What kind of dog can't be won over with a walk? Boyfriend has started taking Poodle on some walks that are just the two of them. Poodle chills out a bit for a while, but the next time Boyfriend arrives home it tends to be back to normal. So...no progress yet, but this is still in it's early stages.

I love this dog, who is really a fantastically fun, sweet (though still somewhat neurotic) dog when Boyfriend isn't around. Boyfriend is awesome, and willing to try all sorts of things, even though this dog (unlike all other dogs he's encountered) has a real problem with him.

So, does anyone have any ideas of training/tricks/mesmerism we could try with Poodle? Any reassuring stories to share with me? We are far, far, far from giving up, but I certainly don't want Poodle to be this stressed out the rest of his life.

I feel the need to note that Boyfriend is a great guy, and all answers of the "Your dog is trying to tell you something that you can't sense and animals are totally able to see our souls and so DTMFA" will be roundly mocked around this house. Thank you for all practical advice.

How can I smell like my dog?

tr0ubley — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:37:58 -0800

How do I learn to smell like my dog? I once read an article (referenced here) about how humans can follow a scent trail through a meadow if down on their hands and knees with nose to the ground, much the same way dogs can. In fact, I seem to remember reading that with some practice, the people involved in the experiment became so skillful that their speed at following the scent trail was limited only by how fast they could crawl.

When I come home from being out, my curious dog doesn’t just smell me from across the room. Instead he places his nostrils right on my hands and clothing. I have noticed that many, many household items have a very distinctive odor if I put my nose very close to them. I now feel that I have been missing out on a major sensory experience because humans don't generally smell things (except laundry) by touching them directly to our noses.

My question is this: while I know my dog has a better sense of smell than I do, how much of this is related to real physiological differences, and how much can I make up for by using new methods (i.e. putting my nose close to things, actively trying to remember smells, etc.)? What other tips and tricks do you have for being more scent-conscious?

How to make a career out of canine behavioral rehab?

Ufez Jones — Thu, 14 May 2009 19:20:15 -0800

Say I wanted to make an earnest stab at shifting my career path to becoming a canine behaviorist/trainer/rehabilitator. What would my best options be for training/certification and what jobs could I expect to find afterwards? Quick and dirty background info: I have a BBA from a well-respected (though not elite) University. Corporate life just isn't for me. However, the only college credits I have in any kind of science are a freshman level physics course.

A few years back, after a round of layoffs, I turned volunteer time at an SPCA into a four year career doing in-home pet-sitting/dog walking. I've spent countless hours caring for dogs (and other animals, obvs) of various breeds, sizes and temperaments. I've been nipped, bitten, clawed, jumped on, growled at, run away from and punched in the junk and none of it fazes me.

Doing some recent soul-searching, I truly believe I can finally find a passion and lifetime mission doing rehabilitative therapy for dogs that have been abused or neglected.

So what are my best options for certification/training? A second bachelor's degree in animal behavioral science? A program like Jean Donaldson's SFSPCA Academy for Dog Trainers? Or just grunt it out in the lower-rankings of a local rescue org and work my way up?

And for those best options, what can I expect job-wise upon completion?

I'm aware that many folks get into this field via Law Enforcement or Military training, but at my age and given my personality, those would be really far-reaching options.

I want to see the wheels turning in my dog's head.

invisible ink — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:13:42 -0800

My Old English Sheepdog is bored with his Kong. What brain-teasing toys and games do you entertain your dog with? I am very impressed with the design and concept of the Dog Brick, however budgetary constraints compel me to seek out less expensive options from the hivemind. So, how do you give your dog's brain a mental workout, with the end result being the satisfaction of finding a yummy treat?

Yes, I cook for my dog. How can I do it better?

taz — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 09:39:17 -0800

I'd like nutritional advice for homemade dog food and maybe treats, using easy-to-find ingredients. I haven't been able to find high quality commercial dog food where I live, so I make most of her food myself, but I would like to make her homemade food as healthy as I possibly can with the resources I have, which are somewhat limited. Current routine, and many(!) more details inside. Our dog is a rescue that we've had for five months, and she's a completely different animal than we got - in the best way, so I know we are doing pretty good now, but I'd like to know more and do better.

We don't have access to most fancy health food ingredients, so I want to use ordinary ingredients as much as possible.

I currently feed her one of: turkey, chicken, fish, or liver, + brown rice or crumbled whole wheat bread, + vegetables (shredded carrot and zucchini with a bit of cooked spinach, or cooked and lightly mashed frozen veggie combo - peas, green beans, carrots, potato, lima beans). I portion these (protein, carb, veg) as roughly 1/3 each. At one point I upped the protein, but she began straining to poo and her poop was very hard. Normally her poop is very good/solid - never soft or runny, but not too hard, either. That may have just been an adjustment thing, so I'm not averse to increasing the meat to veggie/carb ratio if it's a better diet. I once tried cooked oatmeal instead of rice, and she seemed to really dislike it, but it was probably just because it wasn't what she expected, and we can give that another shot - if it's better for her. (She's really not picky or spoiled - she'll eat what we give her to eat, though I might have to feed her from my hand a bit at first to get her going...)

To this I add a spoonful of nutritional yeast, a small bit of chopped or dried garlic, a half a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, a small splash of olive oil. About once a week I give her a scrambled egg or two instead of meat/fish, and a couple of times a week I give her a few spoonfuls of low(er)-fat yogurt as a treat.

Her regular treats are slices of banana, frozen peas (which she is inexplicably crazy for), or a small bit of feta cheese. She'll eat a couple of bites of pear and apple as well, though not her favorite stuff. She's not crazy about fruit, generally. We don't feed her our leftovers (we eat 'em ourselves!)

I worry, expecially, that she's not getting enough calcium. I don't really find the proper sorts of raw bones for her here (we once asked our butcher for a dog bone, and he gave us something that looked like it came from a dinosaur... really, there was no way that was happening). And she could probably benefit from other additives, but I can't find a lot of health food ingredients here. The nutritional yeast, which should be available as a powder, I have to buy from the one place I can find it in pill form (and expensive), which I then grind up. There just isn't a lot of health food stuff available here yet.

I got the very nice book Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats, but I can't find most of the holistic ingredients in the diet section. I ordered a book of dog food recipes that are supposed to be "Veterinarian approved" and the recipes were totally silly, plus even from my little knowledge, not really that healthy. So I'm up for a good book on this, but it has to be something that relies on regular ordinary ingredients that you could find anywhere, and of course it should actually have some canine nutrition science or background. I'm really, really not looking for something like "Bow-wow Brownies" with "Bow-wow Brownie Frosting" (actual, real recipes from the second stupid book I got).

Service Dog in Training

TauLepton — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:05:24 -0800

What "tricks" would you teach a Service Dog? My daughter's Service Dog is in training through the Colorado Correctional Institute (CCI). The dog is to help her stand when her chemo makes it too difficult to do so on her own. He also knows how to retrieve objects for her and bring things to her. Otherwise, he is allowed to socialize while "on duty".

CCI has asked if there are any "tricks" we'd like the dog to know. This is with the intention to make the dog more approachable to other children at our Oncology Clinic and allow my three-year-old to easily introduce her dog to others.

What tricks have you seen a dog perform that would be good for this purpose?

canis lupus whatisthis?

harhailla.harhaluuossa — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 05:02:44 -0800

What is the origin of the cross-linguistic "kutt"-like root for dog? The word for dog in Hungarian is kutya. In Hindi/Urdu it is kutta. I assumed Hungarian had borrowed from Romani, which shares vocabulary with the North Indian languages. But this is not likely since the Romani of that region has a very different word for dog.

Further, I came upon this site, which, if you search on the page for "kutya" will give you a list of very similar words for dog in Slavic, Caucasian, Afro-Asiatic and other languages.

You can also look at item 72 here if you read Bulgarian, or just follow Cyrillic.

I paid close attention this morning to the mongrel waifs that hang around my street, and find it hard to believe that onomatopoeia is responsible. One may have been making a "kuch" like sound but I think he was throwing something up. Dogs were domesticated quite some time ago, but is it conceivable that one place, perhaps known for breeding dogs many thousand years ago, contributed the word to other languages?

I'm foxed. Explain.

Keeping ticks off my dog

kathleenl — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:13:19 -0800

I am having a problem keeping ticks off my dog. He is on Advantix, which the vet said to give him every 3 weeks, but I am STILL finding ticks on him. He is kept indoors for the most part, but he does like to explore the backyard, and we go on a long walk each day. I don't want to keep him cooped up, I want to let him be a dog, but I don't want to have to keep taking ticks off him...so gross. Any advice on things to try other than Advantix? Thanks! We've also tried Advantage and Frontline, but those didn't even keep fleas off him. He has also had a Lyme Disease vaccine...not that that keeps ticks off, but he is protected from that.

beetus beetus dia dia dia beetus bark bark bark

pieoverdone — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 18:23:59 -0800

My dog may have the beetus. What do I do? My 10 year old pointer mix recently developed a cataract very quickly in his right eye. We were at the vet's last week for it. He said that most often geriatric cataracts develop bilaterally but with one coming up so fast (really, it was like 10 days from clear eye to obstructed) that it may be canine diabetes. We talked about it and he hasn't shown any of the other behaviors associated with diabetic dogs. For now I'm going to order Diastix and check his urine and also get a Glucopet meter to see if his blood sugar is out of whack. He just finished off a bag of Nutro Venison and Rice for his itchy skin, which did help it. So now I'm shopping for a new bag of food. So recommendations on food are requested as well as general advice for having a diabetic dog.

Another note, cataract surgery generally isn't done on dogs unless they have obstructed vision in both eyes and usually is only done to one eye because the cost is about 1500/eye. This is an option for us if it comes to that. His other eye is clear.

Keep my lawn healthy, and dogs not dirty and smelly

cmiller — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 12:25:26 -0800

Here in sunny Florida, my two large dogs tend to wear my back lawn down to the dirt. Is there a grass that recovers easily? I have sprinklers, and slightly sandy soil. It's rarely cold enough to frost. My current lawn is (I think) centipede grass.

My dogs aren't out much, but when they are, they trample and scamper about enough that there's soon more brown dirt than green lawn. I want something that doesn't require a lot of effort to keep green. Bonus points if my dogs smell nice after they roll around in it.

Do I have to find a geneticist to splice kudzu genes and spearmint genes into ryegrass?

Experience with canine distemper?

YoungAmerican — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 13:04:37 -0800

Sadfilter: Does anyone have experience with canine distemper? My one-year-old or so border terrier, Woofie was adopted about six weeks ago from a rescue here in LA. He had come from the Lancaster animal shelter.

He was coughing and a bit lethargic, so we took him in to the vet, who gave him some antibiotics. He didn't get much better, and started having a twitch in his head, so we took him in again about ten days later, and the vet diagnosed him with distemper.

That was about two weeks ago, now. His twitch has spread a bit, and now his leg twitches when he's lying down. He's been eating, but more recently only when we feed him by hand, and his poops have been a bit unpredictable.

I understand that his prognosis is very, very poor. One thing that the vet couldn't really explain to us was, well, what to expect. And all the info I could find on the internet was about prevention.

Has anyone else gone through this with a dog? What was the timeline like? How old was your dog? When and how did you decide to put him down (or did he recover)?

The head of the rescue that we adopted him from told us that her brother's dog recovered from distemper, and while he still occaisionally has neurological symptoms, he

Wooah! Wooah!

mwhybark — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:02:49 -0800

What is the etymology of the slang term for dogs, 'pooch'?

My Dog, The Obsessive Licker

MasonDixon — Tue, 01 May 2007 08:14:18 -0800

My dog licks himself --a lot. The Vet suggested a very expensive (and possibly inconclusive) allergy test. Before spending $700-1000 so the Vet can tell me she has no idea I thought I would consult the hive mind. My dog frequently gets ear infections/fluid in his ears, which is possibly a different and distinct problem. BUT he also obsessively licks his paws, penis, backside to the point that his paws are pink (the Vet said they should be dark) and he's licked the hair off the tip of his foreskin/penis sheath and made it raw.

This isn't anything new as he has pretty much always done this with his paws, but it seems to have become more severe and and he's never hurt his penis area before.

Any previous experience with this or the type of allergy it might be? My dog is already on a wheat/gluten free diet, with the exception of the occasional Milk Bone.

Canine Liver Issues

popechunk — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 20:32:32 -0800

Is the best dog in the world (according to me) going to beat his liver rap? My almost-11 year old Shepherd/Husky mix (Jake) has had on-again/off-again liver problems for 5 years or so. It's never been pinpointed to an exact issue, rather a 'let's watch and see.' He became violently ill 2 months ago where he ended up dehydrated and then in the vet-hospital for a day and a half. His blood work came back looking iffy but the vet put him on 45 days of antibiotics and our dog bounced back. Now, he hasn't totally rebounded because the same weekend that landed him in the hospital was the same weekend we had to put his 'brother' (of 10 years) down. His 'brother' (or deranged partner in crime) had an abdominal mass and starting vomiting/excreting blood. We didn't know about the mass until the morning he was put down. Jake has been lonely without his bud ever since. We've tried VERY hard to off-set it but ... they were together from day 1.

The vet wanted Jake back in this month to have another round of blood work, an ultrasound, and possible biopsy. He had this appointment scheduled to coincide with his annual booster shots. I got a call mid-afternoon that they only did the ultrasound (wouldn't tell me the results) and asked for my authorization for an extensive blood work up. I asked about the booster shots and was told that they would only give him his rabies shots and nothing else - just for the 'in case he bites somebody' scenario. When I pressed further, the tech said that the vet wanted to see the blood work results before he was able to give me a 'plan.' The fact they didn't want to give him the rest of his booster (parvo, distemper, etc.) AND didn't do the biopsy (though he passed the clotting test) really sets off a bunch of alarm bells.

To be honest: this freaks me out. Is there any chance in hell that the vet's "plan" is going to be one filled with hope? Or is this just the beginning of the end of my relationship with the best dog in the world?

Lions and tigers and not dogs? Oh, why?

Sinner — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 17:02:35 -0800

Why are there no canine equivalents to lions, tigers, leopards, and panthers (etc.)? Wikipedia says that an average domestic housecat weighs 5.5–16 pounds. It doesn't give an average for dogs, but anecdotally, 5-200 pounds pretty much covers the spectrum. Now, "the average weight for male lions is 350-530 pounds," but wolves seem to top out around 200 pounds.

Can anyone speculate as to why canines don't seem to have a vastly bigger relative in this sense? I realize that the logic behind "domestic dogs are usually bigger than domestic cats, so wild 'dogs' should be bigger than wild 'cats'" is deeply flawed, but I'm amazed at the breadth of the gap between the two.

Meds for dogs with cognitive dysfunction syndrome

carter — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 07:36:13 -0800

Our dog was recently diagnosed with a mild form of canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS). The vet prescribed 5mg Anipryl, which costs $100/month. I could get generic Selegiline from petmeds.com for $12/month. So I was wondering if anyone has had any experience of CDS in dogs, and using either med. Thanks! She's diagnosed as 'mild' because she only exhibits a few of the CDS symptom checklist, mainly staring off into space; so she's on a very minimal dose of Anipryl at the moment. The generic form, Selegiline, is a dopamine booster that is also used as an anti-depressant in humans. Normally I don't bother with generics and online pharmacies; however, as Anipryl is a maintenance drug that will cost us $1200 a year, I'd rather use the Selegiline if possible.

Can my doggie point the way to the poles?

docgonzo — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 04:57:28 -0800

Do dogs always sleep parallel to a north-south axis? My father says yes (based on "something he read"); I say... well, colour me extremely skeptical. His doggie seems to exhibit this behaviour, but mine does not. He responds mine is not a 'real dog.'

Any more evidence/ ideas to resolve this completely ridiculous argument?

Help my pug and his bum troubles.

docgonzo — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 10:59:21 -0800

So my dog, Mr. L.L.C. Jack Aujla-Milloy, has some bum problems... He's a pug, a five year-old intact male with no serious medical issues -- knock on wood. For the last week he's been paying extensive attention -- well, to the extent that he can reach his bum, which he can't -- to his bum. Dragging, chasing his tail, etc. He appears to be in distress more than he is in pain.

Taking the law into our own hands, Mrs docgonzo and I just tried to express his anal glands. About 5 mL of liquid came out. Now, unfortunately, his previous behaviour has only intensified. He's really not happy.

Any suggestions? Or is it time to pack him up to the pug doctor?

acupuncture for dogs

vito90 — Fri, 28 Oct 2005 20:23:11 -0800

Experiences with acupuncture for your doggie, in particular an older companion with arthritis? My 10.5 year old Basset Hound Lou (still kicking!) has added arthritis to her current list of maladies. I have one acquaintance who used acupuncture on her dog, to good effect. I am interested in hearing more opinions. Did it make a difference? Did your dog freak out the first time or first couple times? How frequent were your treatments? How much did they cost? I am pretty sure my dog's oncologist can recommend a good canine acupuncturist, as she is a big believer in natural/holistic treatments as a supplement to hard science. Thanks in advance for replies. Shane, still have the biscotti signal? :)