Nutrition is key to pet wellness

RANDY ARONSON, VMD
Special to the AJP
Keep your pet family healthy by making sound choices for its nutrition. Nutrition is the building block of life and health. Maintaining the proper calories, nutrients and enzymes will help nourish the body and mind. This philosophy is supported in our western or allopathic medicine by a plethora of research and is thought of in traditional Chinese medicine and ayurvedic medicine as gu chi or pathya vyavastha.
With so many choices and millions of dollars spent on advertising, making the right decisions on pet food can be overwhelming. Be a label reader! I cannot be emphatic enough about this concept. For example, one popular food advertised on television shows a dog running in a field with vegetables raining down around it and says, “made with real vegetables.” On inspection of the label the first ingredient is ground corn, the second, chicken byproduct meal and finally 16th is dried carrots, 18th is dried peas. As if the anticlimactic location in the ingredient listing of the real vegetables isn’t enough, the protein source is made from chicken byproducts, which doesn’t have to be usable protein and contains items like beaks, feathers and feet.
The maxim is that in the first five ingredients you want to see two whole protein sources and no corn, soy or wheat. The latter constitute a huge part of our pet obesity problem and are contributory factors toward ever-increasing incidences of cancer, diabetes and Cushing’s diseases, to mention a few. I really like the commercial diets that follow the rules above, and there are many that are in dry, canned or dehydrated forms. Other choices for your dog or cat’s diet might be home cooking, or raw diets, as long as you work out the formulation with your veterinarian to thoroughly balance your pet’s food.
The next big hurdle to get over is the treats we offer our pets. Remember that baked treats available at the market are full of wheat and wasted calories and often contribute to allergy and weight problems. There are naturally made baked treats, but be careful in pets with allergy, ear problems, urinary tract problems or gastrointestinal issues as often the wheat flour used can exacerbate these maladies. Look to dehydrated treats, with the proviso not to buy any treats made in China. Better yet, offer your pet slightly steamed baby carrots, green beans, sugar peas, or apples; all are great, low fat, usually allergen-free choices. Avoid grapes, raisins, onions and chocolate as treats.
In addition to a great food and healthy treats, I am a fervent believer in adding a multiple vitamin, additional vitamin C and omega 3 fatty acids in the form of a fish oil capsule. These are the core supplements to keep our dogs’ and cats’ immune systems vigilant against illnesses, especially in our area where valley fever, also known as coccidiomycosis, is a vast problem.
Randy Aronson, VMD, will open an integrated veterinary medicine and rehabilitation hospital, Partners in Wellness Services, in June 2008 at 300 E. River Road (www.pawstucson.com). He is head of Integrative and Rehabilitation pet medicine services for the Veterinary Specialty Center Tucson, 4909 N. La Canada Drive. Hear him on Radio Pet Vet at 1330 AM, the Jolt, Wednesdays at 5 p.m. or streamed live at tucsonsjolt.com.

AJP to start Ask a Vet column
Randy Aronson, VMD, will answer readers’ pet health questions in a new column, “Ask a Vet,” which will debut in the Arizona Jewish Post’s May 16 pet section.
E-mail questions for “Ask a Vet” to Aronson at vet boyrd@msn.com.

Ready or not, dog training begins on day one

CINDY L. MORGAN
Special to the AJP
Most of us don’t realize that we are training our dogs from the moment they enter our lives. It doesn’t matter if your new addition is a puppy or a mature dog, it will constantly learn from you over its lifetime.
Every interaction with your dog is an opportunity for you to teach it something. What are you teaching it? My husband thought it was fun several years ago for our puppy to run and jump into his lap while he sat in the recliner. Eighty pounds later it wasn’t funny or cute anymore. If you play rough with dogs with your hands they will learn that hands are for roughhousing and biting instead of loving and petting. Tapping your feet and watching that puppy bounce around after them is adorable at first but once the puppy grows up it isn’t so endearing and could be dangerous.
Scolding a dog that urinates or defecates in an inappropriate place could be counter-productive. You may just teach it that its natural instinct isn’t acceptable in your presence. Therefore, instead of teaching it to go outside you have just taught it to only go when you aren’t around. This is why a lot of dogs will sneak off to do their business in another room.
We can also inadvertently teach a dog that pulling on the leash is what we want and is acceptable. I have had owners release the pressure of the leash every time the dog pulls because they are afraid the dog will choke themselves. I have even had dogs that appear to learn that if they go to the end of the leash and cough, their owner will release the tension. The owners get upset and concerned that the dogs can’t breathe. Although I do not advocate tying a dog to anything, how often do you see a dog tied to a stationary object choke himself until he passes out? When we give in to our dog’s pulling we are actually rewarding it for this behavior.
Dogs do not look at reward and punishment the same way we do. I never advocate hitting, spanking, punching or kicking. Dogs do not understand this type of physical punishment. Dogs can view any physical contact as a form of attention and reward. If your dog jumps on you and you push him off he can view that contact as a reward. The dog jumped on you for attention and you just gave it to him even though you were scolding him verbally at the time.
Having a pet is a lifetime commitment. Once we bring that animal into our homes and hearts it is our responsibility to teach it.  Pets are not furry children but they are still dependent on us for everything in their lives; food, shelter, medical care and yes, love.
Cindy L. Morgan, PDT, RP, owner of Oh, Behave Pet Training & Solutions, has been working with animals and their owners for over 20 years. Contact her at trainthatk9.com or 403-8798.