Sunday's Living With Your Pet Tips: Caring For Your Senior Dog

Hard to believe I'm officially considered a senior...I don't remember getting an AARP card. Hmmm.

Parental Unit claims I haven't slowed down a bit, but according to most charts we've seen, I am indeed at least heading into my senior years. In a month or two I'll be about 51 in human years.

Check out this nifty chart from WEbMD to find where your pooch falls on the age scale.

The idea is that you pet parents should be on the lookout for age-related issues in your dog, since he or she typically won't be able to tell you if they're stiff from arthritis, for example, and need several shorter, daily walks to stretch out (Unless of course, you're a dog with a blog like I am, and can post about your aches and pains.) One of our favorite holistic veterinarians, Dr. Karen Becker advises that there are at least six special considerations for older pets that you should be aware of and might need to work into your daily routine.

Very much like humans, dogs need to maintain a healthy weight and engage in daily exercise to keep in top shape. both mentally and physically, as they age. And like humans, they may need to alter their daily schedule to accommodate their changing bodies and slowed pace. The good news is that seniors make terrific pets, particularly if you rescue an aging pet from a shelter. Although it's hard to believe, many dogs are abandoned by their owners when they're "of a certain age", because they don't want to put in the bit of extra effort or alter their routines to meet the needs of an elderly pet. But we believe these dogs "know" that the people who step up to the plate and adopt them, despite their advanced years, are special folks, indeed, and deserve the loyalty and devotion a senior dog will show them.

Let us know about any special tips you have for caring for an aging pet—we'd love to hear your ideas!

Share

Petting Versus Praise: We Say Both!

 First, a very Happy Easter and Joyous Passover to all of our friends!

We also hope you enjoy this article from one of our favorite holistic veterinarians, Dr. Karen Becker.
Dr. Becker always explores fascinating topics and this one is no different: What does your dog crave the most—petting or praise? Well, this experiment, conducted by University of Florida researchers and published in the journal Behavioral Processes appears to conclusively show that dogs prefer...(spoiler alert) petting! In fact, it was even close.

The experiment used both family dogs and shelter dogs and demonstrated that every single dog involved in the study stuck close to those dolling out the petting, even if that person was not their owner! These canines gravitated to the human touch rather than the human voice every time. Read Dr. Becker's synopsis of the study to understand what this means for you and your pooch.

And while you're at it, check out this compilation of dogs enjoying, er, demanding, some good old-fashioned petting time. Note to self: Probably not a good idea to reward a dog with what they enjoy most—petting—when they engage in bad behavior— growling... What do you think?

Share

Don't Make These Kitty Litter Box Mistakes!

You know we enjoying sharing healthy pet tips from one of our favorite holistic veterinarians, Dr. Karen Becker, and today we thought these litter box strategies would help you start spring with a healthier, happier cat and a tidier home.

  A healthier, happier cat? Now you're talkin' my language—MEOW!

First, don't fix what ain't broken: If your kitty is using his or her litter box like a pro, don't change a thing! Just keep the box scrupulously clean, and keep an eye out for any changes in stool or urine or deviations from her regular litter box use.

Dr. Becker also reviews the various types of cat litter on the market and her opinion of their pros and cons. She advises against scented litters or litter with odor control additives, because cats don't seem to like them, and since cats clean themselves so much, they can ingest the added chemicals over time. Parental Unit transitioned me to a corn litter many years ago, and I've been a happy kitty ever since.

If you're a part of your cat's staff, let us know what type of litter you've chosen and how it's working. And if your cat is having "litter box" issues, check out "The Happy Litter Box", a great resource for everything concerning cats and their "bathrooms".

Well, that's enough advice for me...I'll think I'm ready for a snooze...

Share

Introducing A Younger Pet Into A Senior Pet Household

We think these strategies from one of our favorite holistic veterinarians, Dr. Karen Becker, will be super helpful for those of you contemplating the addition of a younger family member to your pet household. It doesn't have to be a super young pup or tiny kitten—these tips are meant to address any significantly younger animal who is more energetic or playful than your senior pet.


Parental Unit has made such introductions both ways: First, she introduced Ms. Bella as a two month old kitten to her then 13 year old doggie, Carson. Since Carson had always been the only pet in the household, she was afraid of hurting his feelings or making him feel displaced. She needn't have worried—Bella just wanted to snuggle up (and occasionally jump over the old man), and Carson seemed to enjoy the companionship.

After Carson passed away, and I came into the picture, Bella is still the snuggler, although we have a nightly bit of rough and tumble play...typically just as Parental Unit is sitting down to dinner. As you might recall from all of our previous photos together, Bella quite literally never lets me alone!

I'm kinda feeling used in this photo...

                  So I turned the table on her, so to speak.

To us, the most important tips are to put the senior pets needs first, as much as possible, feed each pet in a separate area, and supervise their time together until you are absolutely sure they get along. We'd love to hear your experiences with these type of introductions, so please do tell!

Share

Don't Leave Your Dog Behind!

I'm ready for a road trip whenever you are, my faithful Parental Unit!

One of the main, pet friendly ideas we try to promote here at Bocci's Beefs is that families should integrate their pets into their lives—making them more like true family members. A great way you pet owners could accomplish this is to simply take your pets with you more often when you, well, leave the house. Think about the mournful look on our faces when you shut the door...and don't return for hours, or even the entire day. What's up with that?

We realize that it can be a bit more complicated when you bring Fido along, and you do have to plan ahead, but once you start taking us with you regularly, say on your daily errands, it becomes a lot easier—for both you humans and us. If you're worried about us misbehaving, for example, the more we get out there and mingle (I think you humans call it "networking"), the better behaved we will be—as long as you set our boundaries and provide gentle correction and discipline. Speaking only for me, I'm a fast learner!

Here's one example: Parental Unit always takes me with her when she goes to her local bank, just a few blocks away. And when I realize that's where we're headed, I start getting real excited because I always get a great reception there, including a biscuit or two. But when I get excited, I start sneezing, so the second I walk into the bank, well, I start sneezing like crazy, much to the delight of the bank employees and customers. Parental Unit wishes she'd be that welcomed at a lending institution...but we'll leave that for another post.

We ran across these great strategies for traveling with your pet from our friends at Mercola Healthy Pets—from daily errands to weekend getaways to longer road trips, you'll learn how to keep both you and your pet safe and happy. This article also provides additional resources, like The AAA Pet Book and National Geographic's The Dog Lover's Guide to Travel (both hard copy) plus tons of online resources to help you and your pet get in the travelin' groove. But the best part is that you'll be together!


Let us know your tips and tricks for taking your dog along for the ride. We'll all benefit from your strategies!

P.S. Speaking of travelling with your dog, we'll be bringing you the quintessential dog+ guy+ major road trip book for an upcoming review and giveaway: Travels With Casey, My Journey Through Our Dog Crazy Country by Benoit Denziet-Lewis. Don't miss it!

Share

The "Do As I Do" Dog Training Method

How many of you teach your dog tricks or commands using the clicker, or treat (food or toy) reward methods? Now how many of you have tried the "Do as I do" training method, that involves the dog mimicking human behavior? Although we've read about this before, Parental Unit has never tried this with me—what with all the time I spend writing this blog, Parental Unit doesn't think I need to mimic any more human behavior!

Huh? You read all the time, so I'm just mimicking your behavior... Fab photo of me by Clark Creative

One of our favorite holistic veterinarians, Dr. Karen Becker, put together this article and video about the "Do as I do" dog training method that not only explains and demonstrates how it's done, but demystifies the scientific research that backs it up.The cool thing about this method of learning is that it involves social learning and deeper cognitive skills than reward training.

You might remember that John Pilley used this training method with his Border Collie, Chaser, to great success. While we dogs can't all be like Chaser, we think the "Do as I do" training method is a great way to mentally stimulate your canine, while challenging you to spend more quality time with us.

P.S. Speaking of pet enrichment, stay tuned for our interview with Dr. Tony Buffington, DVM, a world renowned cat expert and author of the new Ibook, Cat Mastery. What Parental Unit learned from this book and from her conversation with Dr. Buffington has upended her thinking about indoor cats—we can't wait to hear what you think!

Share

Sunday's "Living With Your Pet" Tips: Does Your Dog Eat Poop?

    Fabulous photo of me by John Clark of Clark Creative

There's a pleasant Sunday topic for ya! First, let me say flat out that I do NOT eat poop-won't even go near the stuff. Now that I've cleared my reputation, we can talk about those dogs who do, and what you humans can do about it.

As usual, we've gone to one of our most trusted resources, holistic veterinarian, Dr. Karen Becker. As we've noted here before, we particularly like her exhaustive exploration of a subject-and she not afraid to call people out if she suspects their advice isn't in the best interest of our pets.

In this recent discussion of poop-eating by dogs, Dr. Becker explains that there may be some medical conditions, like an enzyme deficiency or pancreatic insufficiency that cause a dog to seek out, say, the digestive enzymes in feces. Apparently rabbit poop is particularly high in these enzymes, which is a favorite of many canines. And there are also behavioral causes, like the lack of mental and/or physical stimulation such as the horrible conditions of puppy mill dogs who are always confined to a crate.

But we all know that some dogs just seem to like to eat poop, so what to do?

Dr. Becker also offers some tips to wean your dog from this unpleasant habit, like making sure you feed species appropriate food with high quality proteins, pick up any of your pooch's poop, pronto, and regularly engage your dog with lots of mental stimulation and physical exercise. According to Dr. Becker, bored doggies engage in lots more strange (an unacceptable) behavior than well-exercised canines.

So does you dog ever eat poop...and if so, what have you done to try and break this habit? Let us know!

P.S.  Parental Unit says she'll never forget when her sweet pug, Ollie, got into the cat's litter at her former mother-in-law's house during Thanksgiving dinner. Ollie pranced into the room with the litter-covered poop hanging out of the side of his mouth like a cigar and wanted to play. Good thing everyone there loved dogs and had a good sense of humor...

Share

Sunday's "Living With Your Pet" Tips: Why Never To Buy A Dog Online...

    Fabulous photo of me by John Clark of Clark Creative

This article by one of our favorite holistic veterinarians, Dr. Karen Becker, is a lot longer and more detailed than just a few health and safety tips designed to be ingested ( and perhaps forgotten) in just a few minutes. It's a rather lengthy article that discusses the shocking inbreeding of dogs, that for most of us, goes on behind the scenes, and the dire consequences of that inbreeding for both the dogs and the humans who love and care for them. 

But that's one of the reasons we like Dr. Becker-she goes into great detail explaining and backing up the points she's making with good solid evidence. In this piece, she visits the United Kennel Club's annual show in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and interviews the UKC's president, Wayne Cavenaugh, who's held that position for 13 years. Just in case your time is short, you can always just read the synopsis of the article posted to the right of the full text-and there's also a video of Dr. Becker's interview with Cavenaugh to watch at your leisure.

You'll learn the reasoning and evidence behind the statement "why never to buy a dog online", and better understand why it's never been more true that "If you can't meet the parents, don't buy the puppy."

We hope you enjoy this article and video and would love to hear what you think!

Share

Sunday's "Living With Your Pet" Tips: The Scoop On Pet Vomit

   Fabulous photo of me by John Clark of Clark Creative

How's that for an enticing title? While we don't want to gross you out on this steamy Sunday, we thought this article by Dr Karen Becker, one of our favorite holistic veterinarians, was well worth reading. For us, it falls into the "we had no clue" category, and since we pets tend to expel stuff from our mouths (most often without much warning), it would certainly be helpful for those who love and care for us to know the differences among the different types of, well, stuff that comes out of our mouths. It turns out that it's not all "vomit".

Until she read Dr. Becker's discussion, Parental Unit didn't know that the types of "stuff" coming out of our mouths is divided into three, very different categories: vomit, regurgitation, or expectoration. And it's important to know the difference, so you humans can decide whether we need to be examined by a vet, and even what to tell said vet about the "event".  Based on this information, Parental Unit has concluded that I'm apparently regurgitating a bit of water and mucus fairly regularly, but only after I arrive home from a walk and drink water right away-Parental Unit will ask my doc about this during our annual visit scheduled for this week, and we'll let you know what he says.

We'd love to hear from you about this delightful issue...did you know the difference among these three types of "stuff" (for lack of a better word)? Let us know!

Share

Sunday's "Living With Your Pet" Tips: Top Five Pet Diseases And How To Prevent Them

        Fabulous photo of me by John Clark of Clark Creative

As you know, we're fans of Dr. Karen Becker, the holistic veterinarian who writes the "Healthy Pets" blog for the Mercola website. And one of the reasons we like her so much is that her articles aren't superficial-they typically go into great detail and include numerous links to her sources, as is the case with her recent article that we're bringing you today, about the top five chronic diseases you dog or cat is most likely to get. She thoroughly explains in laypersons terms what these diseases are, why our pets tend to get them and how we, as our pets' caretakers, can prevent them. And by the way, do these diseases, like obesity, arthritis and heart disease ring a bell? You humans suffer from them, too!

One of these chronic illnesses is kidney disease, which occurs seven times for frequently in cats than dogs. My feline sister, Bella, was recently diagnosed with early stages of kidney problems through a routine blood test taken before her teeth cleaning-she has slightly elevated Creatine levels, which our Doc said is an indicator of kidney problems, and there is cat medication that can be used to successfully treat this type of problem.

Parental Unit has been "treating" her, for the time being, by slowly adding more soft food (canned) to her diet and enticing her to drink more water, although she's never been shy about hovering over my water bowl to quench her thirst. We'll see if these changes have helped when she gets her blood tested again in June.

In the meantime, we'd appreciate any tips you have about treating elevated Creatine levels and/or kidney disease in your cats. Thanks!

Please note: This is a compensated guest post.

Share

Sunday "Living With Your Pet" Tips: The Basics of Detox

We think this article from Dog Fancy's "Natural Dog" section of their magazine and online presence is just enough out of the mainstream to be both interesting and provocative. We've all heard of humans fasting, and trying all sorts of other treatments, whether endorsed by the medical establishment, in an attempt to cleanse or "detoxify" their body. It turns out that some veterinarians recommend the use of certain detox procedures for pets, too. This article sticks to detoxing dogs who have been ill and/or on various medications, and recommends a short, 24 hour fast to start the process, along with the judicious use of herbs and natural supplements to aid elimination of toxins.

But with these tips, we must stress: don't try this on your own! Please consult a veterinarian well-versed in integrative medicine to guide your process for your particular dog, and include a full, in-canine check-up before using any of these tips.

So what do your think? How far would you go with integrative medicine, including a detoxification process, to help your dog recover from an illness-or for that matter, to maintain wellness? Let us know!

Share

Today Is National Holistic Pet Day!

What does "holistic" mean to you? And more importantly, what does it mean regarding the food you buy for your pets? It turns out that there are no regulations for using the term "holistic" in pet products, like there is, say, for the use of the term "organic". So our friends at Halo, Purely for Pets, co-owned by comedianne and animal activist extraordinaire, Ellen DeGeneres (see her pretty, smiling face below), decided to conduct a survey of nearly 850 pet owners about the term "holistic" as it relates to what they feed their pets.

           See...we told ya today is National Holistic Pet Day!

And the results might surprise you-here are just a few of the survey's fascinating results:

 First, consumers tend to agree on what they think standards governing the use of the term "holistic" should be. When asked what they consider critical elements in a holistic pet food, an overwhelming majority of survey participants gave the following answers: 

No artificial preservatives or colorings – 84.8%

All natural – 83.6%

No corn or fillers – 79.1%

No inferior by-products – 82.3%

No rendered animal parts, such as chicken meal – 78%

No “4D” meats (diseased, dying, disabled or dead before butchering) – 80.3%

Other top attributes included: Only fresh meat or fish (58.5%), includes lots of fruits and vegetables (50.3%), zero recalls (50.4%) and the use of ingredients one can find in their own kitchen (45.2%).

 If you want to read up on what two veterinarians have to say on the subject, check out these two links: 

Good Nutrition Heals by Donna Kelleher, DVM  http://blog.halopets.com/2012/08/21/holistic-pet-day-2/

Let Food be Thy Medicine by Donna Spector, DVM http://blog.halopets.com/2012/08/17/food-be-thy-medicine/

We'd love to hear what you think about the term "holistic' as it applies to the food you purchase for your pets. Do you make an effort to purchase what you believe is a holistic pet food, or for that matter, take an overall "holistic" approach to your pets' care? Let us know!

Share

"Living With Your Pet" Tips: Five Ways To Help Your Pet Live A Long And Vibrant Life!

We found lots of useful information in this article from Dr. Karen Becker, one of our favorite holistic veterinarians, where she explains her "Top 5 Ways to Raise a Long-Lived Pet". What we like best about Dr. Becker's advice is not necessarily the substance of her advice (although we tend to agree with that, too!), but that she takes the time to thoroughly explain the reasoning behind her ideas, so that you can make an informed decision about how to proceed with your beloved pet. And this article is no exception.

From feeding a "species appropriate diet" to minimizing vaccinations by working out a protocol with your vet based on the latest American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) vacination guidlines, and perhaps incorporating some alternative, "routine maintenance" for your pets' body, like massage, stretching and even acupuncture,  Dr. Becker 's detailed advice helps laypeople like Parental Unit make better decisions on behalf of her furkids-to not just live long, but live vibrantly. Isn't that what we all want for both our pets and ourselves?

Share

The Latest Medical Procedures Can Extend Your Pet's Life-But For A Price

Photo courtesy of Robert Wright for The New York Times

Here's the good news as relayed in a New York Times front page article just the other day: procedures to treat your pets' medical conditions, ranging from cancer to kidney disease and most every other ailment in between (including canine dementia), have improved dramatically in the last two to three years. Diagnosis and treatments like imaging technology, better drugs, new surgical techniques and holistic approaches like acupuncture, can now be used to both extend your pet's life and/or make him or her more comfortable during their remaining time with us. "What's new is the sheer number of approaches to treat problems that not too long ago, would have meant the end of the line," said one specialist in feline geriatric medicine.

But, as the article questions: at what price? And we're not just talking dollars, although those figures can be exorbitant, like approximately $25,000 for cancer radiation treatments and a bone marrow transplant. We have to try and think of these life saving treatments from our beloved pet's point of view-are they young enough to have a good quality of life-post treatment, provided the treatment is successful? And just because most humans would go through just about any type of treatments to extend our lives, would our beloved dog make the same choice?

Overall, we think these advances are wonderful, because they give us more options, and thus give our pets more options for a longer, fuller life. And there's more good news: "I think the biggest change has been in mindset," said one veterinarian. "We now take an integrative approach. Rather than thinking in terms of a specific medication or procedure, we're talking about following up with physical therapy, pain management, nutrition management...I'm excited to see all the disciplines working together." And so are we!

Share

More "Living With Your Pet" Tips And A Very Special Video

We're a tad late in getting these "Easy Like Sunday Morning" pet tips to you today-it''s more like, "Easy Like Late Sunday Afternoon"! But pull up a chair and enjoy reading this important overview of spot-on flea and tick control from one of our favorite holistic veterinarians, Dr. Karen Becker. Although Dr. Becker has some serious concerns about these medications, she realizes that they may be necessary in some situations and provides practical tips to minimize your pet's exposure to them.

Speaking for Parental Unit and me (don't I always?), these monthly flea and tick control medications have been real lifesavers for us here in the hot, humid Midwest. Parental Unit remembers the "old days" when pets and their frustrated owners only had those smelly flea collars, which she swears to this day, attracted, not repelled the fleas. And she also not-so-fondly recalls having to "bomb" her apartment after one particularly nasty flea infestation. But the fact remains that you pet parents are applying insecticides directly to our skin, so not only should precautions be taken, but the applications themselves should be minimized to the best of our combined abilities. And Dr. Becker's tips provide invaluable ways to do just that.

And in today's edition of Cesar Millan's newsletter, he's written a beautiful story about the effects of bullying on today's youth, told through the eyes of a very special 14 year old boy, and Cesar himself.

        Photo of Cesar Millan and Junior courtesy of Cesar's Way

It's hard to believe that the calm, assertive Dog Whisperer himself was ever bullied, but indeed he was, as he recounts in this very personal story. But he's helping others stand strong against bullying with the It Gets Better Project and video-and we think this is great! Enjoy the video below:

http://www.cesarsway.com/newsandevents/cesarsblog/Cesar-Millan-It-Gets-Better

Share