All through my day I am pummeled with topics to write about. Sometimes it is some crazy thing my dog Luke did (like freak out of his socks yesterday when I walked in the door carrying a staked seven foot tall tomato plant in a five gallon bucket in front of me…which caused me to laugh so hard I almost dropped the plant) and sometimes it is something more serious like a friend’s heartbreak with a dying dog. Other times there is just this on running list of “informational snippets” I think you should know about.
One snippet would have to be the “voluntary recall” on certain production codes for a popular dog food called “Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul” produced by Diamond. More information on the recall can be found on the FDA site. Reportedly there was Salmonella found in a bag after a dog became ill. The words “voluntary” and “recall” have never really aligned in my mind but I suppose that is just me. When you research the FDA information look at the itty bitty sidebar that says although the food was distributed to only 10 states, sub distributors could have the “potentially affected bags” outside those states the recall is focused on.
And for now the final snippet will be about Thunder Shirts ™. Operating on the same principle of the weighted clothing that has been developed to help calm Autistic children (and adults); snug fitting Thunder Shirts ™ are being billed as the best thing to come down the pike for thunder sensitive dogs. They are also being used as a means of controlling other anxiety driven behaviors in dogs. As with all things in life these shirts work for some but not for others. If your dog is among the ones the shirts work for you could enter a drug free chapter with your dog; however, I must say I am a bit concerned about them under certain circumstances.
My concerns center around the shirts being left on the dog for too long and potentially causing hot spots, rain rot, etc., since where there are thunderstorms, there is humidity and rain and the shirts would not allow the skin to breath and the fur to dry. I can see an owner thinking “there MIGHT be a storm today so I am leaving it on just in case.” I am also seriously concerned about dogs overheating in them. The primary principle behind these shirts is a very snug fit that helps to calm and control the stress panting. But if you are going to try this new concept out on your dog, please remember that the material of the shirt will cause heat to be trapped on your dog’s body in addition to affecting their panting which is their primary way to cool. In other words, please be careful.
Betsy Newman owns Moosehead Trail Boarding Kennel and Back to Basics Obedience Training in Newport, Maine. She is a professional groomer, trainer, show handler and a retired Animal Control Officer, veterinary assistant and breeder.
Source: http://www.houndcrazy.com/2012/07/snippets-and-some-thoughts-on-thunder.html
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