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The News At Home
A rabbit has decided to visit our backyard nightly. He (or she) is a beautiful little creature with a grey mottled coat, white chest, and cotton tail. To Tori, the pretty markings matter less than the fact that “Bugs” is a generous caterer who leaves droppings she can eat. Needless to say, Morley and I are not amused, but as anyone with a rabbit in their yard can attest, there’s no way to control it. Unfortunately, Tori had a severe allergic reaction (facial swelling) and the only thing we could point to as the culprit was rabbit poop. A friend suggested that perhaps Tori was allergic to what was in feces i.e. twigs, grass etc. That seemed reasonable to me, but according to Tori’s dermatologist, it’s a real stretch. In fact, I now have to agree because her reaction was one time only whereas her penchant for rabbit poop continues daily. It seems that the most likely culprit was a spider bite. Veterinarians seem to agree that this is the number one cause of allergic reactions that come on with a vengeance and disappear rather quickly at this time of year. So, much as I can’t help thinking of all the nasties that a rabbit can carry and transmit to a dog, an allergic reaction seems to be low on the list. Rabbit poop breath is another matter altogether though - ok, we won’t go there.
What’s New at monicasegal.com
Borage Oil and Vitamin E 400 IU are On Sale!
With an expiry date of October 2010, there’s plenty of time to use these high quality products, and the savings are substantial. Our borage oil is $6.99 per bottle (regular price $10.99) and vitamin E 400 IU is $9.99 per bottle (regular &13.99). Here’s why you would want to add then to the diet, and why you might not:
Borage Oil is a rich source of GLA (an essential omega 6 fatty acid). It’s been proven to help improve skin and coat, and is especially useful to dogs that require a low-fat diet, but need a good source of omega 6. As well, it’s a wonderful oil for dogs with atopic dermatitis. A blinded, placebo-controlled study of the efficacy of borage seed oil and fish oil in the management of canine atopy proved that borage oil has a significant role to play.
Cautions: due to the high GLA content, dogs with epilepsy would not be candidates for this product. Nor should they be fed primrose or black current seed oil. Don’t be confused. These oils will not cause seizures in dogs that do not have epilepsy. However, they are contraindicated for those who do.
Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant that should be added to all home-prepared diets, and is especially important when fish oil is fed. The 400 IU strength is suitable for most dogs that weigh 50+ pounds, but the total fat content of a diet should be considered. In a nutshell, the fattier the diet, the more vitamin E becomes a requirement. Another fact to consider: working dogs have a greater need for antioxidants.
Cautions: None have been demonstrated or noted.
Myth of The Month
Brewer’s Yeast is a flea preventative
Despite the popularity of this myth, the fact is that adding brewer’s yeast or nutritional yeast to the diet does nothing to detract fleas. I’ve often been pointed to websites and books that make this claim and some people insist that they can prove it’s true. Their “proof” is that their dog never had fleas while ingesting this yeast, or better yet, that the dog had fleas during the one month the yeast had not been fed. Belief systems are difficult to change, and I admit that this myth is one that needles me often. By the same logic presented as “proof” above, I can point to my Zoey who never ingested brewer’s yeast and never had fleas, therefore I could claim that not eating it kept fleas away. Obviously, it’s ridiculous at best! Consider my Ming, who lived to be sixteen years old, ate a combination of kibble and (healthy) human foods, and finally a prescription diet. He never consumed yeast, yet never had fleas despite being walked along the boardwalk (a beach area in Toronto that is known for heavy flea populations) almost daily. But these are only personal stories. The facts should hold more weight, so let’s look at them:
Both brewer’s and nutritional yeast provide some B vitamins. It’s been said that fleas don’t like the taste of B vitamins, especially thiamin. If this is true, dogs would have to excrete thiamin through their skin in order to keep fleas away. This would happen via sweat, and so, through sweat glands. Unlike people who have many sweat glands, dogs have very few and most are located in the footpad. So, unless a flea happened to land between the dog’s toes, it won’t be deterred.
If you feed brewer’s or nutritional yeast as part of the diet and continue to believe it’s a magic bullet against fleas, you are probably not doing any harm. But, keep in mind that yeast ranks highly on the list of allergens for dogs. So, while Rover may not be scratching due to fleas, he may nevertheless scratch due to an allergic reaction. You had better check it out because Rover wouldn’t be the first dog who ate brewer’s or nutritional yeast and had fleas.
You might ask yourself why I mention fleas now, during the winter months. It happens that a client of mine is dealing with a flea infestation at the moment. This is despite the fact that she’s in a cold and snowy part of the U.S. Her dog has both flea bites and tapeworms (fleas often transmit these worms), and her home must be treated in order to get rid of the fleas. The dog is nine years old, eating a raw diet with brewer’s yeast added daily. Enough said.
Monica
“No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich.’
-- Louis Sabin
