Why Dogs Bark and Growl

Does your dog growl or bark when a stranger approaches your house or when something goes bump in the night? If so, you’re not alone.

Most dogs will vocalize when they are exposed to new or different situations, including strange people or animals entering their territory; being separated from their pack, mother or even your family members; or new or alarming sounds. Dogs may also bark or growl when they see prey, such as squirrels, and they may bark for attention, food or if they are anxious. Dogs often growl when they are fearful or trying to assert themselves in a situation. If the dog’s fear or assertiveness is alleviated by growling or barking, the dog will learn that his behavior is acceptable and the behavior may become more frequent or severe. Some medical problems may cause growling or barking and older pets experiencing senile changes may have barking problems. Intense and continuous barking may be considered compulsive. Check with your veterinarian to evaluate your pet’s barking or growling problem. Behavior training and drug therapy may be helpful in reducing barking for pets with medical, geriatric and compulsive disorders.

Socializing your puppy can help

Acclimate your puppy to a variety of different people, environments, situations and noises to help lessen anxiety as your puppy grows. Make sure your puppy spends time alone so that he doesn’t develop separation anxiety while you are away from him. Proper training is essential to preventing behavior problems, such as growling and barking. Ask you veterinarian for more information about puppy training. 

Correcting a barking or growling problem

Correcting a barking or growling problem first requires that you have effective management of your dog. Once you have achieved this, you can begin to train your dog to lessen his barking or growling behavior by using rewards for quiet behavior. The reward should be something that the dog really likes such as a favorite treat, tummy rubs, or a favorite toy. Punishment is generally ineffective in correcting barking problems. Too much punishment may even exacerbate the behavior and cause the dog to be fearful or aggressive.

Begin your training with situations that you can easily control (such as a family member making a noise that causes the dog to bark) before moving on to difficult situations (such as a strange animal in your yard). When your dog barks at the stimuli (for instance, a doorbell ring), immediately interrupt the barking. When the dog is quiet offer the dog a reward for their behavior. Without the reward there is no incentive to remain quiet.Reward your dog when, at your request, he has stopped barking. Only reward the dog when he is quiet and gradually increase the amount of time that the dog needs to be quiet for him to receive a reward.

As the barking or growling problem decreases, make sure to direct your dog to more appropriate behavior, such as play, and the problem should lessen over time. Don't forget to discuss training options with your veterinarian to find the one that will work best for your pet.

Source: http://www.aaha.org/pet_owner/pet_health_library/dog_care/behavior/barking_and_growling.aspx

Feeding your pet...how much and more

Pets, like people, don't magically maintain an optimum body weight. 

For pets, as for people, body weight is a function of calories in and calories out.

Calculating calories in is a no problem as there are many charts available, both in print and on the internet, to help with conversions. Any reasonable comercial pet food should list the caloric value per kg, or gm, of food on the product information label.

Calories out is more difficult to calculate as it varies with the life stage, activity and health of your pet. Fortunately there are some formulas that help to give us guidelines to follow.

The Resting Energy Requirement (RER) in Kcal/day is the starting point 

RER = 30x(wt in kg) + 70       or       RER= 30x(wt in lbs/2.205) + 70  as     wt in lbs/2.205 = wt in kg

EXAMPLE: RER for a 10kg dog    30x10+70=370   or   30(22.05/2.205)+70=370 Kcal/day
               
However this calculation does not account for age, activity, or health. To estimate for these factors standard multipliers are used for various scenarios as follows:



Multipliers for age, activity, and health:

Weight loss                                 0.8-1.0 x RER
Neutered adult normal activity   1.6 x RER
Intact adult normal activity         1.8 x RER
Light work                                 2.0 x RER
Moderate work                           3.0 x RER
Heavy work                               4-8 x RER
Pregnant  (first 42 days)             1.8 x RER
Pregnant  (last 21 days)              3.0 x RER
Lactating female                         4-8 x RER
Juvenile - weaning to 4 months  3.0 x RER
Juvenile - 4 months to adult size 2.0 x RER



So if our 10kg dog is a neutered adult with normal casual activity  RERx1.6=592  (the total kcal requirement/day). It is very important to remember that this is the TOTAL kcal requirement including all snacks, treats and scrounging! If you feed your pet snacks and treats the Kcal/treat or snack must be factored in.

Now that we know how many Kcal to feed, how much is that in pet food quantity?

To know this one must know the number of Kcal/cup or can of food. This value should be on the bag or can of food. If it is not you may want to consider another choice! If you home cook for your pet you will have to break down your recipe into ingredients and from that calculate the Kcal/recipe batch. The number of cups per batch, and from that, the Kcal/cup.

Once you know this value, calculating how much to feed your pet is straight forward. One divides the number of Kcal/day by the Kcal/cup of food.


So, for example, if the food has 425 kcal/cup, the math would look like this:

Kcal/day divided by kcal/cup = 592Kcal/425Kcal/cup= ~1.4 cups /day or 0.7 cups/meal

**One must remember that these are simply guidelines ... a starting point if you will. It is very important to weigh your pet regularly and if they are gaining, or losing, too much weight then the amount of food and/or activity should be adjusted accordingly. If you have adjusted your pet's food intake and/or exercise and they are continuing to increase or decrease weight a veterinarian should be consulted as many medical conditions can influence metabolism (weight gain or loss).**


Other questions you may ask: 

• How long will a bag last? 
• How much does it cost to feed my pet each day?

To calculate how a long a bag will last one divides the number of cups/bag by the number of cups fed each day. If the bag contains 50 cups and you feed 1.4 cups/day the bag will last 50/1.4=35.7 days.

Some bags do not list the number of cups within. If not, for many pet foods the gm per cup is listed or readily available online. If that is the case the weight of the bag in kg or gm per cup will give the number of cups/bag. So if a food was 110gm/cup and the bag weighed 2kg there will be (2x1000)/110=10.1 cups in the bag.

How much will it cost to feed my pet per day?

One divides the price of the bag by the number of days it will last.

Thus, if you know the Kcal/bag, cups/bag, price/cup and cups/day you can calculate what it costs to feed your pet for a day!

EXAMPLE:

1. kcal/kg x kg/bag = kcal/bag                                            3570x13.6 =  48552kcal/bag

2. kcal/bag divided by kcal/cup = cups/bag                        48552/407 = 119.29c/bag

3. cups/bag divided by price/bag = price/cup                     119.29/49.49 = 2.41/cup

4. cups/day x price/cup = price/day                                    2.41x2.41 = $5.78/day

You may then ask .... is my pet a healthy weight?

For that one turns to body score indexes. Using a score of 1-5, it is optimal to have pets in the mid score range.
Viewing a body score index will help you determine if your pet would benefit from losing or gaining weight.
Once this goal is established one feeds for the desired weight, not the current weight.


Body Score Condition Index 1-5

1 = Emaciated

Ribs, lumbar vertebrae, pelvic bones and all body prominences evident from a distance. No discernible body fat. Obvious absence of muscle mass.

2 = Thin

Ribs easily palpated and may be visible with no palpable fat. Tops of lumbar vertebrae visible. Pelvic bones less prominent. Obvious waist and abdominal tuck.

3 = Moderate                                                                                    

Ribs palpable without excess fat covering. Abdomen tucked up when viewed from side.

4 = Stout

General fleshy appearance. Ribs palpable with difficulty. Noticeable fat deposits over lumbar spine and tail base. Abdominal tuck may be absent. Waist is no longer evident.

5 = Obese

Large fat deposits over chest, spine and tail base. Waist and abdominal tuck absent. Fat deposits on neck and limbs. Abdomen distended.

At WBVC we take diet and nutrition seriously. As with people, pets are what they eat. One pet food is not suitable for all pets and not all pet foods are created equal. Even when ingredients are compared, similar diets may be far from equal in their make up. Not all ingredients are sourced similarly, and not all pet foods have solid clinical research behind them! "Holistic", "all natural", and "high quality" are marketing terms that do not speak to the nutritional value of the food for your pet.

Veterinary Prescription Diets are available only from your veterinarian. These diets are thoroughly researched and contain ingredients that are carefully sourced. Manufacturers of these health products fully understand that veterinarians can make educated decisions about the use of their diets and, as such, these diets can be appropriately prescribed to optimize health benefits for each individual pet.

At WBVC, the veterinarians have created a spread sheet for Veterinary Prescription Diets that aids them in making the best nutritional choices for your pet and lets you know how much a product costs per package, how many Kcal your pet requires per day, how much to feed your pet each day, and how much that will cost you on a daily basis. This can help bring you peace of mind and can save you lots of tedious calculations!

For a Wellness Examination & Consult including dietary recommendations please book an appointment by calling WBVC at 604-266-7421.

The Veterinary Journey of a Much Loved Dog.

                      ....an 18 month adventure

Allow me to introduce Mattie.... a 10 year old, neutered male, Maltese Yorkshire Terrier mix... a whopping 10 pounds of wonder.

Mattie initially came to us with a sore foot. In veterinary lingo..pododermatitis...in normal terms an infected, inflamed sore area between the toes, also affecting the nail bed. His owner reported he had suffered from this on many occasions in the past.

During his general examination it was noted that he had:

• a pot bellied appearance with a distended abdomen
• a large liver with edges extending beyond his ribs
• a thin hair coat especially along his sides
• mild-moderate dental calculus
• restricted range of motion in his hind limbs, abnormal patellar (knee cap) movement on both hind legs and joint changes in the left knee

His general appearance, and recurrent skin issues, gave us concern that he may have a condition called "Canine Cushings" that results in excess circulating cortisol (steroid) and associated complications.

Mattie was about to begin his journey! 

Blood and urine tests were run. He was given antibiotics for his sore foot and his owner was instructed to clean his foot daily with an antiseptic soap. The tests revealed elevated liver enzymes, a low urine concentration, excess protein in his urine and a high urine protein/creatinine ratio without specific kidney disease. These test results were very suspicious for Cushings.

Initial testing was done to rule in/out Cushings. There are two common tests for this:

• a Low Dose Dexamethasone Suppression Test
• an ACTH Stimulation test

The former test was run....and, to our amazement, it was normal!

Given the excess protein in his urine, his blood pressure level was checked. It was high. Mattie was put on medication to help manage both his elevated blood pressure and the protein in his urine.

For a few months Mattie went along without further incident. On his medication his blood pressure returned to normal.

Then Mattie came in lame behind.... he was hurting. We knew he had chronic issues in his hind limbs and suspected these issues were now causing him to be painful. Observation of how he was moving, and an examination, confirmed his hind end was troubling him. Radiographs (X-rays) were taken and showed signs of osteoarthritis and inflammation in both of his knees.  These we not the only changes noted. His liver was indeed very large and he had a calcified stone just in front of his os penis. (Yes...male dogs do have a bone in their penis!) Despite this finding his owner assured us he was having no problem urinating.

Treatment options, both surgical and medical, were discussed with his owner. As the urethral stone was not causing any problems at the moment his owner opted for a "wait and see" approach. Given his age, the chronicity of his problems and his medical issues a more conservative medical management  route was chosen for his lameness, rather than the more aggressive surgical option for correction of his patellar and cruciate ligament abnormalities. Mattie was put on pain medication and a joint protectant. He resumed his normal activity level and continued to pass urine without difficulty. Mattie felt well on his medication.

Periodically Mattie had his urine checked to monitor the protein level. Despite an increase in his medication, his protein/creatinine ratio was increasing and his blood pressure was high again. We were concerned. Bloods were run and his liver enzymes were higher than before. Mattie had something going on and we had to determine what it was.

The possibility of Cushings remained a concern. This time we ran an ACTH Stimulation Test. It was positive! Once a dog is determined to have Cushings the physical origin of the problem must be determined as treatment options differ depending on the origin of the problem. To make a long story short, the problem can originate in either the pituitary gland in the head, or the adrenal gland in the abdomen. Medication is used to manage Pituitary Cushings and surgery is the treatment for Adrenal Cushings. In a normal dog the pituitary secretes a substance that activates the adrenal to produce cortisol. When adequate amounts of cortisol are circulating in the blood the pituitary does not ask the adrenal to make more; when levels are lower the pituitary gets active, and signals the adrenal to produce more. This is type of control is called a negative feed back loop. Thus either the pituitary (the general) or the adrenal (the manufacturer) can be out of control. In order to determine where the problem is one can do a blood test (High Dose Dexamethasone Suppression Test) and an abdominal ultrasound. If the blood test is positive the problem is the pituitary. If it is negative it is likely the adrenal that has gone wrong and an ultrasound can confirm this. Mattie's problem was his pituitary. Now there is a definitive diagnosis  and treatment can be started. Treatment for Cushings is tricky and requires medication to control the adrenal production of cortisol. Clinical signs, and blood test results, help determine the correct dose of the required medication. In Mattie's case it took quite a while to fine tune his oral medication to fit his specific needs. Cushings is controlled/managed, not cured, so life long medication is required. His owner, WBVC and Mattie are a team ... all are invested in keeping his problem well controlled.

Unfortunately, Mattie's journey had not ended!

His dental disease had rapidly worsened while his Cushings disease was not fully under control! Mattie required major dental work. Under general anaesthesia he had a dental prophy, to remove his plaque and calculus, and his mouth was charted. Gross abnormalities were noted and it was determined he required dental radiographs. At WBVC these are done with a special dental x ray unit using DR digital technology. The x rays showed extensive apical root abscessation and bone resorption. Mattie required several extractions.

 Even though he was under general anaesthesia, regional local anaesthetic blocks were used in order to avoid an excessive depth of general anaesthetic, and to aleviate post operative pain. Teeth with more than one root are cut into sections with a high speed dental drill before the roots can be removed. Once the root is removed the empty socket is cleaned, and packed with special material, to help healing. The tissue around the the tooth is surgically fashioned to make a flap that is used to close over the defect left after a root extraction. Mattie had seven teeth extracted! He did very well and went home with pain medication, and anitbiotics. A few days after his dental surgery his owner said he was running around like a puppy...he hadn't felt so well in years!

However, the issue of the urethral stone had been left unaddressed and, unsurprisingly, Mattie started to have difficulty passing his urine! He could still pass urine, but it is a pitiful stream. We are able to pass a small catheter and get a urine sample from the bladder. Calcium oxalate crystals were in his urine.. his urethral stone would likely be Calcium oxalate as well. The stone needed to be removed and his owner did not want him to undergo surgery. Fortunately, thanks to modern technology, there was a solution for Mattie's problem....laser lithotripsy! Under general anaesthesia a flexible ureteroscope was passed into the penile urethra. The stone was firmly adhered to the lining of the urethra. Once directly visualized the stone was fragmented in the urethra using laser lithotripsy! The pieces were removed using a basket attachment on the tiny endoscope. No more stone...no more urinary problem. Unfortunately Calcium oxalate stones tend to recur over time. Specially formulated diets do help reduce the incidence of recurrence.

Our Mattie continues to do well...we hope this medical journey is at an end!