Dental Health

Anyone who has a dog or has even been around a dog can probably agree that dog breath is a force to be reckoned with. In extreme cases, a dog's bad breath can serve as a red flag for more serious issues - infection, pain, and even possible organ damage. The good news is that a dog's dental health can be greatly impacted with preventative care and maintenance! February is National Pet Dental Health month, so at the suggestion of a friend, Tory and I thought it would be a good idea to feature this topic. Your dog's teeth (and possibly your nostrils) just may thank us for it.

Just like your own teeth, a dog's teeth are going to suffer decay without the regular removal of tartar build up. It is not necessarily natural for a dog to enjoy having someone poking around in his or her mouth. This is why it is extremely advantageous to teach your dog to have his or her mouth examined and worked with from day one. You may have to start simply by getting your dog used to having his or her mouth touched. Then, introduce the taste of the paste. Finally, introduce a soft bristled brush with the paste on it.

Just so we're all on the same page here - you must buy special toothpaste for your pet. Using regular human toothpaste is dangerous for your dog. One highly veterinarian-recommended brand of toothpaste for dogs is CET. The pastes come in several appealing flavors that are safe for your dog to ingest.

Brushing your dog's teeth is not the only way to enhance dental health, though. Providing toys and bones for your dog to chew on can also aid in the prevention of tartar build up.


Rag bones can serve as a sort of floss for your dog. (Just be sure to supervise while in use, as dogs can swallow string and this is often hazardous.)


Toys with texture and ridges, such as this one, stimulate gums and help break down tartar on the teeth.


Real animal bones such as these femur bones provide hours of chewing time for dogs. (They do pose a risk for wear and tear on dog teeth, however; so use with discretion.)


Using an additive to your pet's drinking water like this one can is an easy way to further promote oral health.

Having a periodic dental done by your veterinarian for your dog is also a crucial part of preserving your dog's healthy teeth. This is done while your dog is under anesthesia, and while it can be pricey, I can personally attest to the value of having this done. Gabe is a three-year-old healthy dog, but when I had a dental done on him several months ago, they discovered he had not just one, but two broken teeth! Thankfully, neither of the teeth were in need of a root canal because we caught it in time. They were able to seal each of them and prevent any worse pain in his mouth. I would much rather provide preventative care for my dog than needing a painful emergency procedure done later on down the road.

Many veterinarians offer discounts on pet dentals during the month of February, so now is an ideal time to have your pet's mouth checked out! We highly encourage you to help preserve your dog's 'smile'.

Gabe's First Trial! (and Error...?)

This past weekend, Gabe and I competed for the first time in agility. It was a milestone for us because it's something I have wanted to work towards for several years now. However, due to moving around a lot, not having money to pay for classes, and my own lack of confidence, it took us longer than it should have to accomplish this.

The trial we entered was a NADAC (North American Dog Agility Council) trial. They allow both mixed breeds and purebred dogs to compete (as does the American Kennel Club now), and we only entered two classes, since I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into exactly. I decided on two 'Touch-N-Go' events, which focused on contact obstacles. These courses mainly consisted of the A-frame, the Dogwalk, hoops, and tunnels.

I didn't set unrealistically high goals for Gabe and myself; mainly, my objective was just to get through each course, and hoped that he would do more than just sniff the ground or run out of the ring completely. I had no idea what he would think of the trial environment (a horse barn - are you kidding me?), equipment different than what he was accustomed to using, and of course an audience.

The things I learned that day were:
1. Everyone makes mistakes. Especially Novice handlers.
2. If I ever reach the higher competition level classes, I never want to become condescending or arrogant (like some of the elite handlers unfortunately were.)
3. Gabe really needs some sort of a warm up run, to get rid of the squirrely tendencies he has.
4. Laughing at Gabe and myself is helpful.

I will post the footage from both of our runs. Please watch both, as he improved greatly from the first run to the second! (It is ok if you laugh while watching, too - he is slightly over-enthusiastic and had the time of his life. It is what I adore about him. :))

Run 1

Run 2

More trials to come, hopefully!

Edging. To Put Dog Owners on Edge.

Remember when I mentioned how my dog Gabe is prone to accidents? Maybe I should've knocked on wood, because he got into some MORE trouble just a few months ago. (And if you do not recall, maybe this will refresh your memory.)

Here's what went down most recently.

I got to the end of another work week, woke up later than normal, and let Gabe outside before I did anything else. I left the back door open so he could come back inside when he was done. After being outside for literally 1-2 minutes, he did come back into the kitchen momentarily. Then, he wandered back outside on the deck. Shortly after, I noticed a spot of what appeared to be blood on the floor. I followed Gabe out to the deck and then saw that there were LOTS of spots of blood all over the place, and Gabe was vigorously licking one of his paws.

Some choice language flooded into my mind, and I stooped down to see what was causing the mess. His entire front left paw was pooling with blood between the pads. I could not stomach the thought of investigating it too closely (that is why I am a dog trainer, not a doctor), so we immediately went to the vet to have it assessed.



I had NO idea what could have caused such a gruesome gash in such a small amount of time, but upon arrival to the vet clinic, three different people asked us: 'Do you have any metal edging in your yard?' And come to find out, we do.

Tangent: At this time, I should probably mention that I didn't even know what edging WAS before this happened. When I heard what it is called, I pictured it to be somewhere on the fence. You know, on the edge of the yard. In all actuality, edging is the material that borders flower beds, gardens, etc. to prevent different landscaping materials from mixing. Just in case you live under a rock like I do and don't realize what edging is, this is what it looks like:




End tangent.

A few stitches later and armed with a batch of antibiotics and Rimadyl, Gabe was returned to me. He was lucky to not have cut any tendons in his foot. Come to find out, he was also lucky that the cut was between the pads of his foot, and not on the pad (because the pads are made up of dead skin, which is harder to grow back, go figure.) Nonetheless, Gabe had a long couple of weeks ahead of him. No walks. No unsupervised trips to the backyard. No being rowdy, or getting his foot wet. He also occasionally had to wear the dreaded CONE OF SHAME so he wouldn't eat his bandage off. (But we will spare him from being further embarassed on the internet by keeping the real pictures to ourselves.)



After weeks of watching Gabe like a hawk, bagging his foot every time we'd go outside in wet grass, un-bagging it every time we came in the house, excluding him from all outdoor adventures, making sure he got his pills twice a day, and watching him pitifully hobble, I was ready to tear the edging out of the yard with my bare hands. One small piece of metal had a huge impact on my lifestyle, peace of mind, and bank account.

Dad went to Home Depot to buy some type of guard for the top of the edging. As it turns out, they don't even sell metal edging any more, because of how common it is for people and animals to be cut by it! It was good news in one sense, but bad because he couldn't get any sort of protective covering for our edging any more. He ended up using duct tape to cover all jagged corners. (We also got the suggestion to cut a garden hose in half and use that to cover all of the edging.)

So, if you have metal edging in your yard, and your pets or kids ever play out there, I would highly recommend replacing it, or at least covering it. It might seem tedious or pointless, but it will spare you money and heartache in the long run.

And He Kisses His Mom With That Mouth.

Anyone who knows me or is even acquainted with me knows how much I love Gabe. I love every dog that I've ever had, and have wanted to take in numerous others, but he is one of those special, once-in-a-lifetime dogs. He is easy to love, even for visitors that come to the house, or people he meets on the street. Gabe is lucky that I love him as much as I do, because he has been one of the most high-maintenance dogs I've ever owned. Scratch that - THE highest maintenance dog I've ever owned. But, I've learned from the experiences he has thrown my way, and I figured it would possibly be helpful to pass some of the information along in case anyone else ever finds themselves in a similar spot.

In his short three years of life, Gabe has already been to the emergency vet - twice. To put a little perspective on this: in all the years of owning dogs prior to Gabe, not one of them ever went to an emergency clinic. (Emergency vet clinics are open to provide assistance and care for pets that have a medical issue after traditional office hours.) And, dog owners like me are grateful that they exist!

The first situation that warranted a trip to the animal ER was the night that Gabe found rat poison in the house I was renting at the time. The manufacturers of rat poison create it with an enticing taste (so that, you know, rats will eat it.) The problem is that household pets and other animals find the taste just as appealing, and will likely eat it if they have any chance to come near it. Since we were not the people who left the rat poison at the house, there was no way of knowing just how much there was to begin with or how much he may have consumed. Depending on the size of the dog and how much poison they eat, there can be different outcomes. But, the effects of the poison can take days to set in, and I was not about to wait around to find out.

It had been more than an hour since Gabe got into the poison by the time I found him, which meant that his stomach had already begun to absorb whatever he ingested. As I spoke with the emergency clinic a few times that night, it was apparent that coating his stomach with charcoal (to stop absorption) was likely one of the only ways the effects could be stopped by that point. I finally caved at 3 AM and took him in to have the procedure done. They did get him to throw up (as a precautionary measure), coated his stomach, and sent him home with some medications to continue coating the stomach. Thankfully, Gabe never showed any signs of being poisoned and I felt like my money was well-spent.

About a year later, the second incident happened when a roommate left a chocolate cake sitting out on the edge of our counter-top. I went to a barbecue, and when I came home, there was an empty cake pan sitting on our kitchen floor. Gabe had consumed an ENTIRE chocolate cake in one sitting. I knew that the chocolate was harmful to dogs, as many people do. I was not sure if a chocolate cake was less of a threat than being in its pure form, but the sheer amount of what he ate would likely be bad news. So, to the ER we went again. This time, Gabe was showing signs of toxicity with a racing heart. He had to stay overnight, threw up a bunch, had his stomach coated again, got an EKG taken of his heart, and was hooked up to fluids so that his system could get flushed out completely. I applied for a Care Credit account so that I could even pay for the hospital bill (both of these incidents happened while I was unemployed, go figure) and he got to come home the following morning. The bottom line to me was that Gabe would be ok, but it was a traumatic night of worry, tears, discouragement, and feeling like I had let a best friend down.


Gabe with freshly shaved legs (from where the IVs were placed).

Both of these situations prompted me to learn more about other hazardous things dogs can ingest. Some of the items on this incomplete list may surprise you!

Onions
Garlic
Antifreeze
Visine
Grapes/raisins (seriously!)
Mushrooms
Chocolate (common knowledge, but what some of you may not know is that the darker the chocolate/closer to the natural form of it, the more of a threat it poses to dogs.)
Coffee/tea (due to caffeine)
Macadamia nuts
Poinsettia and mistletoe plants (beware during the holidays!)
Avocado plants
Yeast dough
Potato skins

These are just some of the more common household foods and substances that pose a risk to your pets. A veterinarian or Google search will yield additional information on toxic threats for dogs and cats; this list is made up of things that I feel are often in an average home and should be noted.

Furthermore, as a person who will likely move around more than once in the years to come, I would recommend doing a sweep of any new household your pet may live in before moving everything in. You never know what past renters/owners may have left behind (such as poison), and this could prevent a potential tragedy. Additionally, confining your dog when you leave can keep him or her safe from the various temptations that may exist in your house, especially if it is a messy environment (as it often is when multiple roommates live under one roof.)

For any Grey hair Gabe has caused, he is still worth more than every penny I've spent. Author John Grogan sums the relationship up pretty well:

"A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbol means nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not. As I wrote that farewell column to Marley, I realized it was all right there in front of us, if only we opened our eyes. Sometimes it took a dog with bad breath, worse manners, and pure intentions to help us see."

B & G

Just wanted to post this quick picture taken by Abbey Bernhardt of my co-blogger, Becca and her awesome blond Gabe. It's hard to believe I haven't met Gabe yet. I feel like I know him!

One day I will make the trip to CO. Either that or convince Becca to fly Gabe with her to Seattle...and fly home without him.... What?

Snow and Tell

Some friends and I spent the weekend in Winter Park, Colorado. Gabe got to come with us, so that made things pretty much perfect! We took a hike in fresh snow and Gabe did his best to cover his entire body in it. Just sharing a few photos I took...

-Becca