Monthly Archive for April, 2008



Dog Training 411

Published
by
Mary Green
on April 15, 2008
in Authors, Pet Training and Spring 2008
. 0 Comments

Q: My male 8 month old bulldog seems to be like Oscar the Grouch when meeting new dogs. I went to visit a friend and meet her three-month old female bulldog and my bulldog growled at her and nipped her on the face. Then we were standing at the checkout buying dog food and an adolescent boxer pup came in and  my bulldog growled at him. My bulldog is so sweet at home. He loves all my children and always wants to be near me. We have a male Maltese who is neutered and they get along just fine.  I really must learn how to teach my bulldog to be kind and tolerant of animals.  

A: There are a lot of dogs that get along well with the dogs in their own family, but do not readily welcome outsiders.  The fact that he gets along with your Maltese is not necessary indicative of his sociability with other dogs.  It is good that he loves your children, but there are many dogs that love “their” children but may not love visiting children.  

Maybe when you were introducing your bulldog to the three-month old bulldog puppy, she came on too strong!  He may have been well within his rights to correct her.  He may have given her a warning that she didn’t heed.  He may have been more interested in exploring a new environment than meeting a new prospective friend.  It could be that when the young boxer came up to say “hi” your dog was minding his own business and was just telling the boxer to keep its distance.  Lots of adult and even adolescent dogs are not tolerant of puppies invading their space and coming on too boldly. “

In order to increase your dog’s tolerance to other dogs, be careful not to force your bulldog to make friends.  It may be best to meet new friends in a neutral setting.  Use the leash for safety, but be careful not to telegraph your tension with a tight leash.  Try not to let visiting dogs overstay their welcome.  Be sure your dog has an escape route, or a place he can go to be alone.  

Do not punish, scold, reprimand, or correct him if he growls at another dog.  You never want to erase the growl; it is a warning sign that your dog is uncomfortable!  Instead, practice at a safe (comfortable) distance away from the other dog, and feed your dog something wonderful.  Instead of your bulldog becoming anxious or nervous at an approaching dog, he can learn that the presence of another dog means really yummy treats coming his way.  Say something like, “Look, Buddy!  Here comes a lovely boxer!”  Your jolly voice can convey the message of “all is well,” instead of a harsh “No Growling.”  Teaching your dog a cue that means to look at you is effective in breaking the eye contact that can often trigger an aggressive action between dogs. 

The behavior your dog is showing now at eight months could well be related to his early socialization experiences.  “Dogs have a sensitive period for socialization between the ages of 3 and 12 weeks. This means that pleasant exposures to people, other dogs and other animals during this time will have long-lasting influences on the sociability of your dog. Well socialized dogs tend to be friendlier and less fearful of the kinds of individuals they were socialized to.”1  

Still, that early experience should not be the end of your dog’s socialization.  There are lots of dogs that as puppies were well socialized and got along well with other people and dogs, and began showing fear or aggression later in their adolescent stage.

Whether or not your bulldog was adequately socialized to dogs as a puppy, you are right to take measures to help him become tolerant of other animals, and more dog-friendly, even if he does not want to be best friends!

Q: My poodle, Chloe, is really a great dog except when I am on the phone.  If I stay on the phone for too long (in her opinion) she starts to get into trouble.  She will steal things and chew them up, or bark and carry on.  This can be very annoying.

A: That behavior would come under the category of Attention Seeking.  She knows that when you are distracted, she can engage in some naughty behavior that you can’t possibly ignore.  We have had good success using a “go to your place” cue and teaching the dog to stay on her mat while you are doing your activity.  Teach her to go to her mat by luring her with a treat a few times, then tossing a treat to the mat as you tell her to go to her mat, until you can say “Chloe, go to your mat” and she will go directly there, and you give her a reward.  To get her to stay on her mat while you are on the phone, have a supply of chew toys handy so that you can keep her interested in staying there.  She would not otherwise have access to these special chews.

1.  Socialization: It Isn’t Just for Puppies by Daniel Estep, Ph.D. and Suzanne Hetts, Ph.D. 

Lending a Paw - Meals on Wheels for Pets Too

Published
by
Pat Atkinson
on April 15, 2008
in Authors, General Interest and Spring 2008
. 0 Comments

Tulsa’s Meals on Wheels organization tested its newest program with one paw and soon was in it with all fours. About two years ago, high school 4-H Club member Kimberly Baab and friends helped Meals on Wheels staff develop the Meals 4 Paw Starz program, delivering meals to pets of homebound people.

“We started the pilot, then we were in on all four feet,” says Dan Rabovsky, MOW’s executive director. “It has had a wonderful response from homebound people and volunteers have stepped forward to do it.” MOW, one of Tulsa’s largest volunteer undertakings, prepares and delivers 1,000 meals to homebound people daily.

“We began noticing that some homebound people were sharing the meal that we delivered with their pet because they had no other resource to feed them, really,” he explains.  “We were concerned because people were giving up their own important nutrition to the pet, which was not necessarily the most nutritious food for the pet, either.” Once monthly a pet food brigade of volunteers gathers at one distribution location to handle inventory, purchasing, repackaging and delivery of pet food to 35 homebound people with pets.

Receiving these special deliveries are 29 dogs, 30 cats, one turtle, and several birds. All food is re-packaged from large sacks into small bags of daily servings.  “Many people are unable to lift or maneuver a big bag of food and this makes it much easier for them,” Rabovsky says. The food for pets and all of Meals on Wheels programs are supported by donations from individuals and businesses.  Care-taking for the pets has expanded to include special treats in delivery bags and during the holidays pets have received gift bags of toys, treats, beds and more.  For information and to support the pet food program, visit  http://www.mealsonwheelstulsa.org.

Cat Lovers Beware - Lilies are Toxic

Published
by
Sarah Freundenthal
on April 15, 2008
in Authors, Pet Health and Spring 2008
. 0 Comments

This is the story of “Stanley,” a handsome cat in every way.  

I first laid eyes on him four years ago while I was working as a Registered Veterinarian Technician at a local veterinary clinic.  He was an abandoned kitten who needed a home.  He soon became a member of our family which at the time consisted of one dog and two other cats. 

When my husband and I found out that we were pregnant with our first child we were a bit concerned about how the animals would adjust.  Twenty weeks into my pregnancy I found out that I hadcomplications which caused me to be on bed rest.  The days were long and boring but Stanley rose to the challenge of keeping me entertained.  He would bring me toy mice (sometimes in the middle of the night) and want me to play with him.  He was notorious for curling up at my head to help lull me to sleep with his purring.  After seventeen weeks of this, our son was born and the concerns we had with the introduction of him had vanished.  All the animals took to his addition well, especially Stanley.  He loved to curl up with his little infant toes and as my son grew older he accepted everything from tail yanking to hair pulling.  Just recently I caught my son basking with him in the sun.

It was Valentine’s Day and my husband sent me flowers to my work.  They didn’t show up, but were surprisingly delivered to my house that night.  It was a lovely bouquet with some greenery and several types of flowers including just three large tropical looking pink and white lily blossoms.  I try not to keep flowers and plants in the house because the cats like to eat them, so I wasn’t surprised to see a small portion of leaf eaten off of one of the lilies.  To keep the rest of the flowers from being eaten, I moved the bouquet into the garage so I could take it to work with me the next day.

A few hours later Stanley vomited, which didn’t concern me, as I knew that eating foliage of certain types of plants could sometimes cause gastric upset.  What did concern me however, was that Stanley didn’t eat dinner that next night.  By the next day he was very lethargic and stayed in the playroom behind a chair.  He stayed there until I took him to the vet.

After a complete physical exam and blood work diagnostics we found that his kidney blood values and electrolytes were extremely elevated.   He was treated with intravenous fluids and after he received a small bag it was determined that his kidneys were not producing urine.  I knew the prognosis for complete kidney shut down was not in his favor.  It was decided to take him into emergency exploratory abdominal surgery to be sure just what was going on. 

The exploratory revealed that his kidneys were unsalvageable.  A normal kidney is a rich red brown color and his were completely white!  His bladder was totally empty, indicating that his kidneys were producing no urine.   At that point I had to make the decision that no pet owner wants to make.  It was time to let him go peacefully, euthanasia was the only humane answer.  He had already gone through enough and there was no way he would survive without functioning kidneys. 

When I got home that night my son, who is now two, said to me, “Stanley sick.”  I had to put on a smile and tell him that Stanley wasn’t sick anymore, that he had gone to Heaven.

It is generally well known that Easter lilies are toxic. A quick look through the toxicology book shows that all species of lilies should be considered toxic and deadly to cats.  Even the smallest amount of ingestion, of any part of the plant, leaves, stems or flower, can be enough to kill.  Only a few hours after consuming the plant, the cat may start to vomit and without immediate veterinary intervention and treatment the cat may go into kidney failure and die.

If your cat does happen to eat any of the lily plant, seek veterinary care immediately.  As of now, there have been no reported cases of this in dogs, the only concern man’s best friend has is an upset tummy.

Stanley was not only a pet, but a member of our family.  He helped me through my difficult pregnancy and was a best friend to my son.  We were blessed to have him with us, even if it was only for four short years.  There is not a day that will go by that I won’t think of his death and how it could have been prevented.  If I know that his story can save the fate of at least one cat, then my family and I can finally be at peace.

Is Your Corgi Covered by Car Insurance?

Published
by
D. Faith Orlowski
on April 15, 2008
in Authors, Pet Legal and Spring 2008
. 0 Comments

 

Many of you have seen the television ads by Progressive Insurance touting that they are providing collision coverage for your pet – up to $500 – if Fluffy or Fido is injured or dies in a car accident.  And while this is not an endorsement of any particular company, my initial reaction was “Wow, that’s great – and they do it for no extra premium!”

 

Then the legal side of my brain kicked in and I began wondering why pets were not already covered.  As pet lovers know, the law treats dogs and cats as personal property.  If my beloved briefcase or favorite shoes were in my car at the time of the accident, wouldn’t they be covered?  Yes, but probably under my homeowner’s insurance, subject to my deductible and assuming the item of personal property was not excluded (such as electronics) or covered only with a special rider (like jewelry).  Typically, auto insurance coverage – liability and collision – will cover the insured person’s damage to his or her vehicle in an accident, the damage to the other person’s auto or property if the insured was at fault, as well as medical bills, all up to the maximum stated in the policy and subject to the deductible.  At this point in time, only Progressive is covering pet injuries – dogs and cats only – under their auto policy, in hopes of distinguishing their company in a highly competitive market.

So why don’t other companies offer this coverage?  The jury is still out as to what this will cost Progressive and whether it attracts new customers to offset these costs.  At the time of this article, the local office had not had any pet claims yet submitted.  In our informal and totally unscientific telephone polling done as part of the preparation of this article, only Geico admits that they are looking into offering something similar (like what else is a company with a gecko spokes“person” going to say).  Allstate, Farmers and State Farm all said pets were not covered.  Interestingly, dogs, cats and pets are generally excluded from home-owner’s coverage as “property,” although most homeowner’s policies do cover instances where the pet has caused injury to a person or someone else’s property.  You should not just assume that this is the case, however.  I was surprised to discover that about one third of all homeowner claims involve dog bites so companies are beginning to refrain from selling insurance to households with dogs or to persons who have certain breeds of dogs, or they are starting to exclude damages from dog bites from their coverage altogether.  Since there is no “standard” form of policy – and they vary even between people with the same company – each person must review his or her own policy to see what is covered and what is excluded.

One of the companies we spoke with – State Farm – said that if you have “appraised” animals, such as show dogs or pedigreed breeder stock, you can obtain coverage under the “Personal Articles” portion of a homeowner’s policy, but indicated that, in general, pets were not covered.

Keep in mind, this Pet Injury coverage is different from general pet insurance which is basically health insurance for your pet.  With pet insurance, you purchase a health policy from a company and then submit the vet bills when your pet has a covered illness or procedure, and they reimburse you, less the deductible.  Depending on how you view the world, the Pet Injury coverage offered by Progressive Insurance elevates your dog or cat to a “semi-person” or an extension of your automobile, up to a value of $500.

My opinion of all of this is that all automobile insurance companies should cover pets while they are being transported in your family vehicle, regardless of whether you view them as fuzzy children or personal property that eats.  If Progressive’s campaign is successful, you will see other companies falling in line.  However, insurance is like all other businesses - they will only provide a service if they know that such coverage is desired and only we can make them aware of this fact.

We Know…

Published
by
Carolyn Arkison
on April 15, 2008
in Authors, General Interest and Spring 2008
. 0 Comments

It’s a cold winter’s day outside, snowing, wet and frigid. Inside the Tulsa Animal Welfare Shelter there’s an eerie silence. 

The quiet is very strange considering the kennels are at 90% capacity. We know, you know. We know that eight in ten of us will not survive much longer. It is a mixed blessing, this shelter. It’s so wonderful to come in out of the cold, to receive some food to eat, to be treated with a measure of respect. Yet it quickly becomes apparent that most of the inmates here have lost all hope. Thus, we sit, we stare, some sleep … we are numbed by the brutal reality we face.

I’m known as inmate number 7811 but I used to be called “Red.” An animal control officer picked me up last night during a sleet storm. My humans moved but left me behind, alone in the backyard. I hadn’t eaten in several days. I lay next to the foundation of the house for shelter. The cold was brutal. I was very afraid. When the officer approached me, I was so weak I didn’t offer the slightest resistance. I felt hope when I heard his voice.

The kennel right next door to mine contains inmate numbers 7672 and 7673. These guys are Dachshund mix pups. Their three litter mates found homes. They are said to have been quite cute as tiny puppies but now that they are a few months old, their family didn’t think them cute enough to keep … they brought them here. At least they have each other to offer a bit of comfort. The air hangs heavy with the prospect of euthanasia. 

The kennel next to them has inmate 4305. He’s a black, white and tan mix breed dog. Probably has some Jack Russell terrier in his background. He’s a small dog but very smart. He learns tricks easy. He’s one of the few that hasn’t completely lost hope. He greets visitors that approach his pen. His eyes are sad but he’s trying very hard to maintain the Shelter-inmate morale. 

Inmate 3511 on the end contains a beautiful Bull-Mastiff mix female. She is wearing a red nylon collar (which is usually a good sign that she has a human) but she has no tags. She’s very thin. She just sits there in the corner. She will not look at visitors, she always looks away. I think she’s completely resigned herself to being among the many who take the long walk to the injection room. She’s just waiting.

The other inmates here at the Shelter comprise all shapes, sizes and temperaments. Some are beautiful and some give “scrounge” a whole new meaning. Some have so much energy they literally bounce off the walls while others are lethargic as if they can hardly move. There really is someone for everyone here. Rescued pets, in particular, return the favor in ways intrinsic … there’s a depth and a gratitude beyond description.

The one thing we all have in common here at this Shelter is our heart’s desire to be granted the incredible privilege of loving a human being unconditionally. We made that pact with human beings several millennia back, to work in cooperation for the improved conditions of both species. Both the human population and the canine population have exploded since those early times. Humans don’t need our assistance as they did a mere century ago. We can’t keep pace with the humans’ rapidly expanding rate of evolution. We feel we’re being left behind.

We have so much to share with humans. We want to teach the simple lessons of appreciation and delight. We want to learn to cooperate with our given human partner, to perform the jobs of greeting your guests, loving your family and protecting your property. Yes, we will occasionally chew up your favorite slipper, tinkle on your tile and dig a hole in the yard. We want to lead you daily to that place where ordinary meets extraordinary and heaven touches earth. We remember the sacred pact of ages past.

Our reality is very bleak, our days are fading fast. We need only receive your gift of love and acceptance to lead you to that place where extraordinary life-experience is camouflaged within the mundane processes of day-to-day living. Many priceless gifts await us both there … but we cannot travel the path alone. We each need the other.

This earth-plane existence is all about encounter. Every second of every day contains lessons that can only be acquired in the living of the moments, both magical and ordinary. As we work to understand the other, we each gain so much …
we discover the tapestry of Divine woven within the fabric of everyday existence. It’s all right there in front of us! 

Won’t you extend your heart so that together we may tread the path of priceless memories, share the joy of learning inter-species communication, and savor the blessed moments of life’s great secret? The best things in life cannot be seen and cannot be purchased they can only be felt and experienced from the heart. We need each other. We have much to learn, much to teach and more to share.

We know that we can try your patience. We know that we can charm your heart. We know that we can amaze you and we know that we can love you like no one else can. We know, you know, that we cannot survive without you … we know.

Publisher Letter

Published
by
Marilyn King
on April 15, 2008
in Authors, Letters from the Publisher and Spring 2008
. 0 Comments

Greetings, greater-Tulsa-area pet lovers, and I hope you enjoy this Spring issue. Even though I’m a “winter” person, I’ve never before been as thankful to see a spring!  

First off I want to say thanks to all who helped make possible this issue. My advertisers, the talented contributing writers, and the people at Langdon Publishing – thank you! Without any of these people there would not be a TulsaPets Magazine.   

What a sad disappointment that the proposed state bill to strengthen licensing regulations for puppy mills and improve the living conditions of these animals was shot down. Please take time to read Ruth Steinberger’s article, and visit http://www.okpuppymilltruth.org, to read what’s really going on with puppy mills in our state.  At the website, it’s an easy click to contact your representative in protest. Why should we even allow the creation of masses of puppies in an already critically exploding situation, and simultaneously ignore the truly inhumane conditions these poor things suffer. So please, visit and click!      

On a happier note, a grass roots committee has been formed to brainstorm ideas and possibilities for a Tulsa dog park. It will be a slow process, but a process is forming. Hopefully by the July issue there will be some significant updates to report, as well as a “task force report” on recommended improvements to the Tulsa City Shelter

So you ask – who is the dog on the cover? My friends have been telling me it’s time for a good lookin’ dog to grace the cover, and I thought, hmmm, I just happen to have a nice picture handy. This is Samuel Augustus, one of my three rescued labs. (Since TulsaPets Magazine is primarily a family operation, Sam decided to help out!)   He was a stray walking down our midtown street that no one claimed, and I’m convinced someone drove into the neighborhood expressly to rid themselves of him  He’s been a blessing, and it scares me to think he very well could have ended up an inmate like the others in the article We Know on page 6.

Stay tuned to good things coming in July, and spread the word on the importance of spaying and neutering.  And when your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, or others are thinking about adding to their furry family, do encourage them to go to one of shelters or rescue groups to save the life of a homeless pet.  The pet overpopulation problem isn’t their fault, it’s a human fix.  It’s all up to us. 

Spamela Anderson - a PIG who hit the jackpot

Published
by
Sherri Goodall
on April 4, 2008
in Authors, General Interest and Spring 2008
. 0 Comments

Nancy expected to fall in love with a four-legged, black and white spotted canine who usually sits on fire trucks. Instead, it was love at first sight for a five-pound, four-legged creature with a wiggly snout, perky ears, grey spots on her rump, soft brown eyes, and a curly pink tail and hooves.

Pink ears? Hooves? Grey spots? Doesn’t sound like a Dalmatian to me. Meet Spamela Anderson, a pig who hit the jackpot that day, six years ago.

Spamela was found wandering around with two adult hogs. She weighed five pounds and was just a few weeks old…way too young and fragile to stay at a shelter. Nancy took her home, under the illusion that she would just foster her for a couple of weeks. Little did she know, she would fall in love with the tiny piglet. Nancy has used the adjective “beautiful” to describe her pig. It seems contrary, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Nancy did her homework and got help from the local pig rescue group (yes, there is such an organization), http://www.hamalot.org. 

As for her name, Nancy’s friend Jim, just popped out with “Spamela Anderson,” an ideal moniker for a beautiful, pink babe!

The little piglet came with assorted issues. One was pig lice, which, fortunately, have an affinity for

pigs only. She also was a rather picky eater. Nancy discovered that Spamela had a yen for Cheerios and strawberries, a perfectly good breakfast. Soon, Spamela outgrew her indoor digs and movedoutside to a pen and then into the barn. In addition to rescuing and training Dalmatians, Nancy and Jim also care for horses, donkeys, sheep and llamas. Spamela became a regular in the Dalmatian’s playgroup, even finding a best friend, Monte. It took a while for Spamela to realize she was a pig, and not a Dalmatian.

In fact, Spamela is a blue-butt Yorkshire cross.

Nancy trains dogs professionally. She knew pigs were smart, so she decided to clicker train Spamela. (This method involves using a clicker to mark and reward desired animal behavior.)  Spamela picked it up immediately. As a youngster, she would sit, lie down, do weave poles (as in agility training), recall, play “touch stick” and bump a soccer ball…all by command. Spamela still has to sit for her dinner and come when she’s called.

As a 500-pound adult, Spamela has become a bit porky to fit between the weave poles. She is about three feet tall at the back and around 5’9” from nose to tail. She does let Nancy ride her.

She now knows she’s a pig and is no longer fussy about her food. Whatever Nancy serves, it is a gourmet delight for Spamela.

The love affair is mutual, by the way. Spamela has a special little grunt for Nancy. One of her favorite tricks is planting a muddy nose print on your backside. No designer jeans, please.

Indeed, Spamela Anderson hit the jackpot. She lives a very nice life, roaming the acreage with the couple’s other four-legged animals. She sleeps in a straw bed in the barn. In the summer, she wallows happily in the cool mud. She also loves to have Nancy scratch her belly.

As a pet, Spamela fits all the specifications: she’s friendly, affectionate, loyal, and funny.

However, Nancy doesn’t recommend pigs/hogs as pets for just anyone. She has plenty of room for Spamela to roam and enough space between neighbors that Spamela’s enthusiastic hollering when it’s dinner time doesn’t disturb anyone.

Nancy chose May 1 (May Day) as Spamela’s birthday, so come May 1st, wish Spamela a Happy Sixth Birthday…and many more!