What You Can Do to Fight Puppy Mills

Puppy mills produce both puppies and misery

The first step in fighting puppy mills is to not ignore what really goes on. Puppy mills produce both puppies and misery.  They will often be crammed in a cage with several other dogs, have not enough to eat, not enough to sleep and never be let outside.  This forces all of the dogs to sleep and eat in their own urine and feces or on the bodies of their dead cage mates.  They are never looked after by veterinarians and are not euthanized when they become infertile or sick. 

They are shot, electrocuted, drowned or dispatched in some other way.  Their bodies are then buried or ground into fertilizer because, as puppy mill owner Henry Stoltzfus put it, “Puppies are biodegradable.”

Never Buy a Puppy

There are so many dogs and puppies that need homes that there is no excuse to buy one.  Never buy a puppy from a pet store, because all pet stores are supplied by puppy mills, no matter what the employees tell you.  If you have the option, never even buy pet supplies from stores that sell puppies.

Never buy a dog or puppy off of the Internet, especially from sites that ship puppies to anywhere in the world and can get a hold of any breed you want.  These sites are just puppy mills in disguise.  Never buy or adopt a pet sight unseen from an internet site.  This not only could be a puppy mill, but a scam.

Never buy a puppy or dog from a newspaper ad or magazine ad, even if the ad is in a national dog publication and claims that the puppy has papers.  Magazines and the American Kennel Club do not bother inspecting every breeder to be sure that they are not a puppy mill.  They just take the registration fees and pocket it.

Support Anti-Puppy Mill Legislation

Politicians will do just about anything to get votes – including voting for anti-puppy mill laws if they get enough people to write or call them.  Even if you do not have the time to write or call, you can email.  If you cruise on over to websites that feature online petitions, you can add your own electronic signature. 

When your elected official does vote for anti-puppy mill legislation, thank them.  This can be done with a quick phone call, by snail mail or email.  This reminds the politicians of how important this issue is to their constituents.

Write To News Outlets

Has a news story about a puppy mill been featured in your local television news station, magazine or newspaper?  Write or email a quick thank you to that publication or station for bringing the issue to public attention.  Many online news sources also feature stories about prosecuting puppy mill owners, shutting down puppy mills or dog auctions. 

A quick email of thanks or a few sentences in their comments box can help encourage that particular news outlet to focus more on stories about puppy mills and how to stop them.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Top 5 Dog Feeding Tips

Please do not use this article in the place of a veterinarian’s diagnosis

When you get a puppy or dog, you will suddenly find total strangers walking up to you and lecturing you about how and what to feed your canine companion.  This happened to me as a first-time puppy owner when I was living in England.  Now that I and my grown-up puppy live in America, I still get total strangers lecturing me about what to feed my dog.  I had people telling me what my puppy should eat, how much and how often. 

If this happens to you, just nod politely at the stranger and go on following the tips from your veterinarian, your breeder or your animal rescue center.  But for the average, healthy dog, the top five nutrition tips are the same.

Number Five: Give Small Treats

Dogs are excited by the whole ritual of getting a treat that they do not care how large the treat is.  Treats should not make up most of a dog’s diet.  When they do get treats, say as reward in clicker training, these treats can be as small as possible.  For a Labrador retriever, the pieces can be as small as the pink part of your thumbnail.  Dogs with very small mouths can take smaller pieces.

Number Four: No Free Choice Feeding

Free choice feeding is a method used by cat owners.  A bowl of dry food is left out all day and all night so the cat eats whenever he feels like it.  This method works well for cats and their temperamental appetites, but is not recommended for healthy dogs and puppies.  Dogs will stuff themselves until they puke – and then they’ll eat the puke.  Unless your veterinarian recommends free feeding, never leave a bowl of kibble out all day long.  Remove any uneaten kibble ten minutes after placing the bowl down.

Number Three: No Sudden Diet Changes

Any new foods need to be slowly introduced to a dog, or they may suffer gastrointestinal upsets such as vomiting and diarrhea, notes  ASPCA Complete Guide to Dogs (Chronicle Books; 1999.)  Even changing over to a new brand of kibble should be done gradually over the course of 7 to 10 days.

  

Number Two:  Feed More Than Once Per Day

My dogs do best on two meals per day, plus a few small treats here and there.  Sometimes, they may skip breakfast, but they have yet to skip dinner because that’s the meal where they get a bit of canned food added to their kibble.  Neither of my dogs are prone to bloat or hypoglycemia.  Dogs that are need to be fed at least twice a day for the rest of their lives. 

Number One: No Added Supplements

Healthy dogs and puppies will not need nutritional supplements or vitamins, according to Dog Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook (Howell Book House; 2007.) Supplements are not only expensive, but they may do more harm than good.  Supplements – even vitamins – should only be given as instructed by a veterinarian to treat a specific medical condition.  For example, your vet may recommend adding chondroitin sulfate for an arthritic dog.  But there is no need to give it while the dog has full mobility.

References

• Dog Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook.  Debra M. Eldredge, DVM, et al.  Howell Book House; 2007.
•  ASPCA Complete Guide to Dogs.  Sheldon L. Gerstenfled, VMD.  Chronicle Books; 1999.
•  Author’s personal experience

Image from Wikimedia Commons

How to Housebreak a Puppy

Housebreaking a puppy is not rocket science.  But rocket science can seem a lot easier in comparison to many people who live with a puppy for the first time.  Training a puppy where to toilet is conceptually easy, with very few steps or equipment involved. 

But it takes persistence and patience – which many people do not have, especially if they bought the puppy on impulse or received one as a gift.  Not being house-trained is one of the reasons that puppies six months of age or older are surrendered to shelters or abandoned.

First Time

Ideally, you need to figure out in advance where you want the puppy to urinate and defecate.  Depending on where you live, this could be anywhere outside the home, in one corner of the yard or in an indoor litter pan that is often covered in artificial grass.  When you bring the puppy home, place the puppy on that area as soon as you get him or her out of the car. 

Puppies have small bladders.  It should be less than fifteen minutes before the puppy has to urinate.  Praise the puppy with words and with petting and then bring the puppy inside (or to another area of the home).  This helps set the stage for later training. 

When You Gotta Go…

Before a puppy or dog squats to urinate or defecate, a lot of time is spent sniffing for the right spot.  They may walk around in small circles while sniffing or suddenly start pawing at the floor.  Immediately pick up the puppy and take them to the designated toilet area.  Praise when they squat. 

This is where a lot of first-time puppy owners fall down on the job.  They just don’t pay enough attention to their puppies and miss the silent signals that the puppy has to go.  Puppies will also need to go right after they wake up from a long nap or overnight sleep, a few minutes after eating and after a few minutes of vigorous play. 

A two months old puppy needs to urinate, on average, every two hours, morning and night.  A three month old puppy may be able to hold on for three hours; a four month old four hours and a five month old for five hours.  If you cannot get the puppy outside often enough, don’t blame the puppy for having an accident.

Submissive Urination

Until dogs are about a year and a half old, they will be subject to bouts of submissive urination.  This is an evolutionary survival tactic that all canids display.  A puppy flattens the ears, shows its belly and releases a few drops pf urine to a more dominant or stronger dog.  The urine drops are to show that the puppy is much weaker than whatever dog he or she is submitting to.

Puppies also do this to people.  So if the puppy seems scared, expect a few drops to leak out.  Don’t yell and don’t strike the puppy.  This will only encourage the puppy to pee some more in trying to appease you.  Puppies outgrow this behavior.

What About Rubbing His Nose In It?

A common misconception is that if you rub a puppy's nose in its urine or droppings, it knows never to pee or poop there again.  This is wrong and it is cruel.  Puppies have a very limited attention span.  Unless you catch them in the act, they will have no idea that the reason you are so upset is that pile on the floor made hours ago.  In the puppy's eyes, you will have flipped out for no reason. 

Just clean the mess up and take the puppy outside.  When cleaning up urine from carpet, use an enzyme-based cleaner to eliminate any traces of ammonia.  It's that scent puppies look for when walking about in circles, sniffing.

Image of St. Bernard puppy by anjing kecilku for Wikimedia Commons

Amoxicillin In Dogs: Uses and Side Effects

Amoxicillin is an antibiotic closely related to penicillin.  Other antibiotics in this family are oxacillin, nafcillin and ampicillan.  If these antibiotics sound familiar, it’s because they are the exact same antibodies given to people, but in much smaller doses for dogs.  Brand names of amoxicillin for cats and dogs include Amoxi-Tabs, Amoxi-Drops, Trimox and Robamox.  There are also antibiotics using other medications blended with amoxicillin, such as Clavamox (amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium.)

Why Dogs Are Prescribed This

Amoxicillin kills bacterial infections.  It cannot help with infections brought on by other substances like parasites, viruses or fungi.  According to Dr. Mark Papich for PetPlace.com, the most common bacterial infections in dogs that can be treated with amoxicillin include skin infections, bladder infections, abscessed teeth and wounds that have become hot and pus-filled.

Amoxicillin may not be prescribed a second time to the same dog, even if the dog did well on amoxicillin before.  This is because bacteria can become resistant to amoxicillin.  Be sure the vet knows your dog’s past history of reactions to penicillin-like medications.  It is up to the vet to determine what antibiotic to prescribe to a dog. NEVER give dogs human-strength antibiotics as these could prove toxic.

Common Side Effects

The most common side effects are no side effects whatsoever.  But when they do occur, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting are the most common.  Ask your vet if the dog should be given food along with medication as this may help to reduce the chances of nausea.  Another rare but minor side effect is mild diarrhea.  This tends to happen only after the dog has been amoxicillin for weeks or months.  Even this mild diarrhea should be reported to a vet because this means the dog’s helpful intestinal flora may have been killed off.

Please do not suddenly stop giving amoxicillin to a dog without a veterinarian’s approval.  This could make the bacterial infection return.

Severe Side Effects

Just like people, dogs can be allergic to penicillin and any antibiotic related to it.  These side effects are dramatic and a vet needs to be called at once.  These allergic reactions include hives, problems breathing, loss of coordination or sudden bleeding from the nose.  These could also be the signs of an overdose, according to The Pill Book Guide to Medication For Your Dog and Cat (Bantam Books; 1998.)

Other rare but severe side effects include blood in feces (black, tarry feces or fresh bright blood), blood in the vomit and seizures.  If the dog has been having diarrhea, bright red blood may be due to small blood vessels bursting as the dog strains, but it still should be checked out. 

References

• The Pill Book Guide to Medication For Your Dog and Cat. Kate A.W. Roby, VMD, et al.  Bantam Books; 1998.
• Pet Place. “Amoxicillin for Dogs and Cats.” Dr. Mark Papich.
• Vet Info. “Amoxicillin for Dogs.” 

Image: "It's not a bad look" by Robert Simmons for Wikimedia Commons

Why Is My Dog Drinking Urine?

“Leave it alone!” cried out a homeless man’s voice.  He came out of a clump of trees, zipping himself up and looking worried.  My puppy Pony was bouncing all around him. 

I’d been looking for Pony since she’d slipped out of my tent and was glad to see her, but sighed as I saw the man’s face.  “What’s she done now?”

“She drank my pee as I was peeing. Is she sick or something?”

Medical Cause

If urine drinking is a new habit for your adult dog or house-trained puppy, get him to a vet just in case the dog is suffering from dehydration.  There are several conditions that can cause a dog to become so thirsty that he will drink urine – but only if water is not available.  Retired veterinarian James Glover notes that urinary tract infections can cause urine drinking.

I took Pony to the vet.  It turns out that Pony wasn’t sick.  It’s a common misconception that if a dog drinks urine or eats feces, she is always lacking in a nutrient that she’s not getting from her usual food.  Pony drank urine from people and dogs because she got into the habit of doing it.

Non-medical Causes

When I asked my veterinarian about Pony’s tendency to drink fresh urine from people or other dogs, the vet tried not to laugh (unsuccessfully.)  He assured me that Pony had picked up a particularly peculiar habit and would outgrow it.  It turns out he was right.  When she was older, she preferred water – even mud puddles – to fresh urine.

Some puppies are not so lucky.  Those in puppy mills are forced to spend their lives in small cages without adequate water.  In desperation, they drink their own urine.  Mike Richards, DVM writing for PetPalce.com notes that even after being rescued, puppies can continue to drink urine when thirsty.  Other rescue puppies or adult rescue dogs may have been trained to drink urine as part of urine therapy, a controversial alternative healing practice.  I discovered a description of such a “training” method in the book Water of Life by John W. Armstrong (Health Research Books; 2000.) 

Male dogs will often taste a female’s urine in order to determine if she is in season.  Even if a dog has been neutered, this instinct can still make a dog drink a female’s urine.  Some male dogs get really carriedaway with this practice. 

Breaking the Habit

It is not recommended to allow your dogs to drink urine – no matter what species produced the urine.  Some diseases such as leptospirosis can be passed on through urine being sniffed, let alone licked.  When Pony drank urine, I distracted her from the urine by yelling or clapping my hands.  When she looked up at me, I praised her and gave her a small treat.  Treats and praise interested her more than urine.

Keep water available at all times for your dog.  Set down at least two bowls of water for each dog in your home.  When given a choice, dogs prefer water.

Are Tarot Cards Useful for Atheists and Agnostics?

There are many variations on the traditional Tarot deck available -- including Tarot cards for dog lovers. Should Tarot cards always be sniffed at?

Tarot cards have many uses for atheists and agnostics. Some just like to point at the Tarot and laugh, which can be very therapeutic. Some also appreciate Tarot decks for the artwork and nothing more. But some do use Tarot cards or any other type of prognostication tool as means to help make decisions.

Tarot cards should not be taken too seriously. Although some people believe the Tarot could be a tool to communicate with spirits, the only thing you really communicate with is your subconscious. However, one's own subconscious can be just as mysterious to communicate with as it is with the supernatural. You do not need to pay anyone to lay out Tarot cards for you. The atheist can use them all by himself or herself.

Sideways Thinking

In his book about the evolution of human intelligence, "The Dragons of Eden" (1977) the late Dr. Carl Sagan mentioned a process called "sideways thinking." This is when you try to find an answer to one problem by doing something else. It seems the act of dwelling on one problem can blind the thinker to all possibilities. By turning attentions to another problem, sometimes answers for the previous problem pop up.

Human brains tend to seek out familiar patterns, shapes and stories in order to help make sense of the world. If we see a particular pattern developing, the subconscious thinks, "Ah! I know how this story will turn out." But it may take quite a while for the conscious to register this pattern because of other distractions like bad health, job stress or whatever. All Tarot cards do is help a person remind their consciousness of the patterns developing in their own lives.

Seeing Shapes in the Clouds

Although Tarot decks usually come with books on what each card means, no one has to use them. The card can mean whatever the card reminds you of. It's a bit like two people watching shapes in the clouds. The two people will look at the same cloud and see two different images that the cloud suggests to them.

A person may think of a problem, shuffle the cards and randomly pull a card out. The image on that card helps trigger associations in a person's mind. Perhaps the card is predominately red - what does the color red signify to you? Lust? Danger? Pain? There may be an image on the card of a certain character, like a Fool or Magician. What qualities do those characters have? Are those the qualities you need now?

Sometimes just shuffling the deck, picture side up, is a way to calm down after a stressful event. It may also show you calming images at a time when your conscious needs it. The Tarot isn't for all atheists, but it does have its uses.

Reference Links:

• skepdic.com/tarot.html
• thinkingsideways.com/
• crispian-jago.blogspot.com/2009/05/skeptics-tarot-cards.html

Affenpinscher Dog Breed: History and Characteristics

Say hello to the Monkey Terrier

Affenpinscher means "Monkey Terrier" in German. In France, they are generally nicknamed "Mustached Devils”. These dogs are considered a great breed for the sport of Agility.  But there’s more to the Affenpincher (or Affen) than a goofy face and an athletic body.

Temperament and Behavior

Clever and lively like the monkey he's named after, the Affenpinscher is a happy dog who loves being part of the family. They are NOT recommended for families with very small children, as they often act like the rats Affens were bred to hunt. They are always ready to play, but will learn to settle down, too. They can live happily in an apartment.

Often a quiet dog, Affens will bark vigorously when defending his family and territory. They make vigilant and confident watch dogs. They can be aggressive with strange dogs, prone to biting the "intruder". This can lead to problems of Affens seeing threats where there aren't any. Since they are terriers, allowing them unsupervised time with pet rodents or very small children is NOT recommended.

Physical Characteristics

Affens prove that good things come in small packages. In this case about 9 - 11 inches (24-28 cm) at the shoulder and weighing about 6-9 pounds (3-4 kg) of a compact doggy box-like body. In Europe, they are all black, but often misty gray patches occur on the face and chest. In America, black, silver, black and tan, red and brindle (sometimes called belge) are allowed.

They are rough haired (yes, that scruffy look is natural) and easy to groom, if you are persistent and patient. Their coats will catch bits of the great outdoors, so check them after every walk before. Hairs often grow into their eyes -- this needs trimming immediately. His muzzle is short his ears semi-floppy, with a long, curving moustache, giving him a very monkey-like face. He has a short tail.

Training Tips

Affens are considered one of the most intelligent and curious of the toy breeds, love to please their human family members. This makes puppies eager to learn training.  Older Affens are probably smarter than most people, so they need a lot of patience and positive reinforcement.

Early socialization with other dogs, people, traffic noises and household objects are a MUST to prevent the Affen thinking his home has been invaded by monsters and thus biting. Many Affens take longer than other breeds to get the hang of housebreaking. Just treat him like you would a small child and avoid buying new carpeting until he gets the idea. Affens often wriggle into their loyal family's hearts with quirky but mostly harmless antics. 

Health

Affens have a great reputation for being generally healthy dogs through their 10-12 years. Although their muzzles are short, they generally don't have any breathing difficulties, unless they are exposed to very hot weather. Some are prone to fractures, laxating patella (dislocated kneecaps), hip dysplasia (it's not just in large breeds) and eye problems. Breeders are trying to breed out a congenital heart disease called PDA (patent ductus arteriosis).

Please protect Affens from extreme heat or extreme cold. Affens often will eat anything, whether foodstuff or not, that gets within reach of their mouths, so be on the alert as to what they're poking their nose into. Childproof locks on cabinets and storing chemicals on high shelves is strongly recommended to avoid vet trips.

Popularity

Affens are harder to find than most breeds, but breeders exist in most states and countries. You will most likely have to be put on a waiting list for a puppy. Breed rescues do exist in America and Europe. Affens ranked the 139th most popular breed in America with the American Kennel Club in 2011. There are some 1500 breed registered Affens in America and England. They are a breed steadily losing popularity in the United States.

Breed History

Affens are one of the oldest Toy (Companion in the UK) breeds in the world. Larger, multi-colored ancestors of today's Affens, called Ratting Terriers, were hunting rats in Germany about 1600. They were eventually bred smaller to kill mice for housewives. It is generally thought the Ratting Terrier was crossed with Brussels Griffon, Pugs, Schnauzers and German Silky Pinschers.

At one time in the 1700's, there were two sizes of Affens, but the breed settled down to the modern Affen about 1750. They spread around Europe and the United Kennel Club officially recognized them as a breed in 1957. Affens became a recognized breed in the AKC in 1936.

Image from Wikimedia Commons

 References

Affenpinscher Club of America

AKC's Affenpinscher Page

Affenpinscher Rescue