I’m owned by a Cavalier, and if you are too, or are thinking of buying or rescuing one, I know that you’ll appreciate information that can help this wonderful breed.

Basset Hounds are such cute dogs in my opinion. I can’t resist those skin folds around the ankles, or those eyes! Unfortunately, too many end up in Rescues, but thank goodness Rescues exist and wonderful people adopt dogs. I have no doubt that anyone owned by a Basset wants to do everything possible to keep them healthy.

As with any breed, Cavaliers and Bassets have their own unique genetic problems. I’m all about prevention when possible. Why wait for a genetic glitch to rear its head if we can keep it bay? Or, at the very least, support the body to deal with what may come. That’s always made more sense to me than waiting until we need to address disease. Interestingly, some foods and supplements are better positioned than others to help these breeds. This applies to any way you feed, be it kibble, cooked or raw diets, which is why these booklets address it all.

In these booklets, Mike Cormier DVM, writes about the breed’s possible problems, questions to ask a breeder, which conditions a good vet will check for, and what the symptoms and treatment may involve. I’ve written about the best food and supplement choices most likely to benefit a breed, and explain what lies behind my suggestions, Dr. Cormier and I call this taking a proactive approach and we know that this is exactly what works best!

We want to help Rescue groups and breed clubs by offering a deep discount when they purchase a minimum of 48 booklets. Let me know if you’re in this category, because working together helps to spread the word about taking a sensible approach to health while also helping the organization to raise much needed funds.

Seminar Announcement
Attention Texas! Saturday, May 3rd in Austin, TX

Let’s meet! I’ll be conducting a seminar in Texas on Saturday, May 3rd. We’re going to be talking about feeding dogs; in particular, your dog with his or her unique needs. Thanks to the Travis County Kennel Club for sponsoring this event. I’m looking forward to answering your questions, and helping you fine-tune a diet that makes sense for your dog and your lifestyle. Join me from 9 am to 3 pm (book signing 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm) for coffee, lunch and an educational day. For more information, contact JoAnn Wolf hobnob@austin.rr.com or register at www.traviscountykc.org/education.html or www.eventbrite.com/event/68273207

Fact of the Month
Healthy puppies can have ‘abnormal’ blood test results and activities

I’m blessed to be working at something I truly love to do. One of the highlights is working with pet owners who have new puppies. Even seasoned dog owners worry about a new pup. Is s/he eating enough? Too much? Is that a normal gait? Is the puppy drinking enough? S/he sure seems to be piddling a lot! People forget what it’s like to have a new puppy, and while thrilled to have an additional family member, they’re also watching carefully, and are a bit nervous about what health issues the pup might have.

When faced with a need to run blood tests on a puppy, veterinarians do so, and the pet owner usually wants to know the results. Hearing that there is an elevation in alkaline phosphatase makes many dog owners worry about liver disease. However, this enzyme is highly concentrated in the bones and liver. Puppy bones are growing, and at an especially fast rate in large or giant breed dogs. It is not at all uncommon to see this enzyme elevated in puppies. In fact, it is quite normal.

Urea (BUN) may be elevated, but again, this is not usually something to worry about. High protein diets can cause an elevation, but this is not necessarily indicative of a problem. Further, dehydration can also cause this elevation. Most puppies are playing hard and urinating often, so mild dehydration is often to blame for elevated BUN. This is especially the case if the blood draw occurs before the puppy has eaten or had some water, but if the food is high in protein, BUN may be elevated anyway.

Anemia can be caused by a number of things, but in otherwise healthy puppies, internal parasites or fleas are likely causes.

Do the blood test results reflect dietary concerns? This is unlikely because blood tests show the circulating amounts of certain minerals such as calcium, and calcium seems to be the biggest concern for puppy owners. The key to growing your pup successfully is to feed a controlled amount of food, and of course, it must be a balanced diet that provides sufficient, but not excessive amounts of vitamins and minerals. Do not free-feed puppies. It isn’t necessary, and can lead to over nutrition. This is where things can go bad. It’s not about the amount of protein being fed so much as the excessive amounts of vitamins and minerals that cause skeletal problems. Free-feed a puppy and s/he is very likely to become overweight, not to mention that the more food consumed, the greater the amounts of vitamins and minerals ingested.

One of the more interesting things I receive email about is concerns over what the puppy finds to eat i.e. bark, clothing fluff, baseboards, etc. Puppy owners worry that this might be due to a nutritional deficiency. Chances are that it points to nothing but a normal puppy. Have you forgotten that at this point, you are living with a curious nose and an eager mouth on four legs? Puppies explore their world with two basic questions in mind: Can I eat this? Can I play with it? The only way to know is to sniff, lick and gulp. You probably don’t need to change the diet, but you may want to invest in a spray bottle of Bitter Apple (not that this helped our Zoey because she thought it was delicious!) Allowing puppy to explore his/her world is part of the fun. As long as the object of their attention is safe, there shouldn’t be concern.

Keep your puppy slim, feed a high quality diet, do not encourage excessive exercise for young pups, allow the puppy to sleep as s/he requires, and trust your veterinarian to interpret blood test results. After all, if you Google all day trying to find the worst possible thing the blood test might point to, you’re missing out on enjoying your new baby, and s/he is missing out on you!

Monica

“No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as the dog does.’
-- Christopher Morley