After rescuing a husky mix, I soon found that little people should not attempt to walk very strong dogs without some sort of protection.

If you have a bigger dog and you have some trouble walking them, here are a few suggestions:

• Let ‘em run! Look around your neighborhood for a fenced in park that allows dogs to run around freely off the leash! It’s a great way for your pup to get some exercise and socialize with some other dogs. Just watch where you step!
• Play Santa! If you have a bike or a scooter of some sort, tie your dog to the front and let them pull full speed! Just make sure you have control over brakes and steering. Use a longer leash for this activity and keep it taunt while riding so you don’t have any accidents!
• Go to the gym! Ok, so maybe not a public gym, but if you happen to have a treadmill in your house teach your dog to have a run on there! You may have to start on a lower speed to get them started.

Whatever your plan is, keep it safe and keep it fun for the both of you!!!

The Question:

I am almost certain my dog is pregnant. I am a first time breeder and want to do this right. I have heard puppy food should not be high in protein, but your (excellent brand) sites higher protein as a plus. I want to switch Lotus to the food the puppies will eventually eat once I see the heart beats (next week). I am wondering if I should put her on your regular adult food or your puppy food. Please let me know your thoughts. Right now Lotus is eating a kibble I don’t really like. It is her dad’s and he has to eat a special vet food. So I supplement both their diets with raw and also a vegetarian supplement called Vital Energy (#1 All Systems) which is great, plus Derm Caps. I want Lotus to be as nutritionally sound as possible and also want to send food home with each puppy. Thanks in advance, Elissa

The Answer:

Congratulations on being a new Mom   Nutrition is very important at this stage.    I always recommend raw food according to “Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats” by Kymthy Schultz, especially at this important time.   Raw food is what the k-9 digestive tract was set up to eat.  In her book,  Kymthy talks about how you can re-create a rabbit,  for example…. bones, organ meats,  muscle meat, and stomach contents, … so that is the proportion in which it should be fed.   There is no need to measure things out. Your supplements sound fine, but I find that the Derm Caps are not very potent.  I would use a human brand Essential Fatty Acid, as well as a multivitamin without additives and fillers. Most importantly, pregnancy is the best time to treat homeopathically, as we are not only treating the bitch, but the puppies at the same time.     Thanks very much

Dr. Judy Stolz

Really pee on fire hydrants?

We’ve all seen it; pictures of dogs using fire hydrants as bathrooms, cartoons of dogs heading for the red statue for some privacy.

But do our canine friends really, instinctively, use, or want to use, fire hydrants as their toilet?

Are our dogs born with the urge to use hydrants? Or is it more a learned attribute?

All signs point to convenience.

To dogs, a fire hydrant is just like any other material thing they can mark.

Anything and everything is fair game in the quest for a spot to call their own.

In the wild, and the in the times before big cities, dogs used everything in nature from trees to bushes to just the plain old ground. Now, with more and more buildings and urban areas, where’s a dog to go?

Think of a hydrant as a shortened metal tree.

Question:

I have a 120 lb lab mix dog that is almost 9 years old. He needs to slim down but I am having trouble accomplishing this. One reason he may be having trouble loosing weight is he was recently diagnosed with Cushing’s disease. I get the definitive diagnosis next week. Can you recommend a food for him? Thanks

Answer:

Hi,

I always recommend a home made diet, according to “Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats” by Kymthy Schultz.   Having said that, the diet is not going to be all that helpful,  if that is all you do.   Classical homeopathy is the treatment of choice to begin with, and some dogs still occasionally need drug therapy.   Thanks

Dr. Judy Stolz