Dog Treats and Service Dogs
I have to say that I was so strict with my first dog, Ramona, regarding treats. The agency that trained her really frowned upon treats and instructed me that she needed to work for me based on praise rather than treats. It made sense because they argued that if her working was dependent on treats and let’s say, for example, that I had fallen out of my wheelchair and was not able to reach any treats and I needed her to get the phone. What would I do?
Therefore, I gave Ramona very few treats. When Morgan came along, he was trained by another agency with a different philosophy about treats. They felt treats could and should be used as a reward when appropriate. Morgan loved the treats but he was not as much of a “chow hound” as I lovingly referred to Ramona. She was a complete maniac for treats; but Morgan, although he loved them, was not as possessed and obsessed by the thought of a treat.
So, here I am with service dog number three, Whistle, still debating about how to effectively use treats. I keep pondering how often and exactly when should I reward him with a treat? Whistle loves treats more than Morgan, but he is not quite as obsessed with treats as Ramona.
Another big issue for Ramona and treats was her weight. Whenever I would give her treats, she had an almost immediate and noticeable weight gain.
Whistle, on the other hand, is very lean and muscular. I monitor his weight closely and although I have been giving him regular treats, he has maintained a healthy weight. However, the dilemma continues. How often should I give my service dog treats and when? I adore all of my service dogs and I want to be good to them, but is giving them treats being good to them or am I negatively impacting their overall nutrition? And second, what kinds of treats should I be giving them? Organic, meat, veggies, fruit, etc.?
I was trained to give Ramona minimal treats for a variety of reasons and I always felt guilty after she was gone for not lavishing more treats on her. As a result, I have been much more lenient with Morgan and even more so with Whistle. My philosophy is, if it doesn’t interfere with their work performance or their health, then it should be okay.
What do you think? How do you dispense treats and what kinds of treats do you give your service dog?
Out of Retirement for the Day
We took an adventurous trip to the vet today to introduce our new kitty to our vet and to get Morgan checked. Morgan has been exhibiting some issues with his anal area and we thought he might need his anal glands expelled. As we packed up the kitties, I called Morgan to put on his harness in preparation for the 30 minute drive to the vet’s office. I use his harness to seat belt him safely into my van. He was thrilled that I was calling his name as I was going through my ritual preparing to leave the house.
It was as if he was having flashbacks to his working days. Whistle, on the other hand, was noticing my departure rituals and he got into place to accompany me. He seemed confused and disappointed that I did not dress him. Morgan followed me to the door as he does many mornings. He paused as if I would be saying good-bye and leaving him behind once again. Instead, I held the door open for him and called him to come. He sprinted through the door and into the open door of my van with a huge smile on his face. I clicked his seatbelt and closed the van door. He seemed to realize that Whistle was staying behind. His chest swelled with pride and he perched himself on the backseat of my van.
Morgan has horrific allergies that cause him to lick himself insatiably. As a result, he has to wear an Elizabethan collar 24 hours a day. For those of you who have seen the movie, Up, you know this collar is referred to as “the cone of shame”. Morgan is such a good sport about wearing it, but I can only imagine how uncomfortable and frustrating it is for him. Unfortunately, he has to wear it or he would cause serious harm to himself.
However, today Franz removed the collar when he put the harness on Morgan. Morgan was perched on my seat with his harness and seatbelt, cone free. He was a service dog again if only for a little while and he was behaving like a service dog. No licking, no thoughts to illnesses or retirement. He was working and it felt really good.
Morgan went with us to the vet and he performed as a perfect service dog. He proudly waltzed into the vet’s clinic and conducted himself with the utmost professionalism as his kitty brothers received their check-ups and as he endured his check-up and gland expulsion. It was so heartwarming to see my retired guy feel so good about himself. The ultimate thrill was to see him without the Elizabethan collar.
I wish being dressed and being in public was the answer. Unfortunately, this phenomenon will be short lived. I know Morgan will once again begin uncontrollable licking and he will have to put the collar back on.
But for today, for this moment, he was young again. He was working and he was my service dog. I am thankful for today and for having the opportunity to see Morgan by my side. When we got home, Whistle was waiting at the door. His entire body was wiggling with excitement that we were home and things went back to normal. Morgan is resting on the couch again, but I can still see a twinkle in his eyes as if he is remembering that he got to go to work today. He was the working service dog and Whistle had to take the day off.
Alternative Medical Treatments for Service Dogs
As a resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico, alternative treatments are a common form of health care for a large portion of our population. Santa Fe is known as “the city different” and it is proud of its world renowned schools for massage, acupuncture, and other forms of alternative medical treatments.
These treatments are designed to treat an individual’s mind, body and soul. I myself have benefited from various alternative medical treatments such as massage, oriental medicine, aroma therapy, etc. And, I have been thinking about utilizing these types of treatments for Whistle and Morgan, my service dogs.
As most of you know, Morgan has been retired the last couple of years and has been experiencing some chronic medical issues. Primarily, he developed severe allergies throughout his life that have attacked his immune system and drives him to lick himself until he bleeds. It is so severe that he has to live in an Elizabethan collar. If I take it off for two seconds, he will lick himself until he bleeds. His allergies are so severe that he can no longer produce tears. As a result of that illness, he almost lost his eye sight. It was only through the intervention of Dr. Gavin Kennard at Eye Care Associates in Albuquerque, NM that we were able to save his eyes.
Needless to say, we have tried everything to help Morgan including allergy specialists, allergy shots, special diets, special medications, etc. You name it and we’ve tried it. He has been tested for allergies and the poor guy is literally allergic to everything in his environment, including his food. He can only tolerate a prescribed food of rabbit and potato that we have to special order.
I am at a loss on how to effectively treat Morgan’s symptoms. As a result, I have been exploring alternative methods of treatment. Currently, Morgan is getting massage. At first, he did not like it and did not want the massage therapist to touch him. But now, he seems to enjoy the body work and gladly stretches out for her to massage his entire body. When he’s had enough, he lets her know and she immediately stops touching him.
A friend has a senior dog that is licking uncontrollably also. I don’t think he is as bad as Morgan but it does sound very problematic. This friend has elected to try acupuncture on her dog along with some Chinese herbal supplements. Already, she has witnessed some improvement from the herbal supplements and I am anxious to hear about the results of the acupuncture treatment.
Alternative treatments are not just a luxurious form of treatment that merely caters to celebrities and the rich and famous. Service dogs exert so much energy throughout their lives and they endure more stress than an average family pet. I believe we need a holistic approach to medical care for ourselves and our service dogs. For me, alternative treatments are a good option to maintain the overall health and wellness of my working dogs.
Have you had any positive or negative experiences with alternative medical treatments for your working dog? I would love to hear about it as I continue to strive to maintain the overall health and well-being of Whistle and Morgan.
The journey of 2010 begins…
As 2010 begins, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world because I am living with two service dogs, Morgan and Whistle. Morgan is retired and I am so thankful he has made it through another year. He turns 12 on May 1, 2010 and I know his remaining time on this earth is limited. He has had some serious health scares in the last two years and I have been amazed at his resiliency.
Although Whistle and I have bonded into a strong working team, Morgan remains ever watchful ensuring that Whistle adequately performs his job. Retiring a service dog and ultimately saying good-bye to a service dog is one of the most difficult things I have ever done. I have only done so once. I can only liken it to becoming disabled all over again. I felt so helpless.
As a member of a service dog team, I feel it is my responsibility to take the best possible care of my service dog. I vigilantly monitor their food intake, treat distribution, types of toys, and everything that goes and comes from every orface of their bodies. I think that is what makes it so difficult to lose a service dog to retirement or death. I believe that my job is to take care of them as well as they take care of me.
I will never forget the day when I lost my first service dog, Ramona. I felt like someone had ripped my heart out of my chest and showed it to me. I was heartbroken. I still am.
As I anticipate Morgan’s death in the not too distant future, I am so fearful of experiencing the same emotions that ravaged my body when Ramona died. I don’t think I have ever felt such pain and agony. Since her death, I have tried to process those feelings and cope with her loss.
I am especially interested in identifying those feelings and reactions as I anticipate my loss of Morgan. I did not think I could be closer to any working dog than I was with Ramona. However, Morgan and I were once virtually one being. He knew my every move and I his. From the moment we met, we were inseparable. Even though he is retired, he stills keeps a watchful eye on me and his ears are always alert. When I call Whistle for assistance, it is Morgan who still arrives first.
The bond we develop with these working dogs can not be described or defined. My love and adoration for all of my service dogs knows no limits. It is a feeling and a loyalty that has no bounds. We simply take care of one another. It is a lifetime commitment. Unfortunately, as we all know, a lifetime has a beginning and an end.
As the day when I am placed with a service dog is one of the happiest days of my life, the day when I must say good-bye to my partner is one of the saddest days of my life. I know that 2010 may be the year when I have to say good-bye to Morgan as he turns 12 and continues to struggle with his health issues.
I hope and pray that I will have the courage to be by his side when his time comes and to honor and respect him in the manner he so deeply deserves. I don’t know when Morgan’s time will come but what I do know is that it will come. I also know that I want to be there for him as he has always been there for me.
As 2010 begins, I am thankful for each day that I can spend with Morgan and I am hopeful that 2010 will not be the year I must say good-bye to him. The only thing that brings me any consolation when saying good-bye to my service dogs, is that I believe I am not saying, “Good-bye forever my dearest friend.” Instead I am saying with all of my heart, “Good-bye my dearest friend until one day when I will see you again.”
Kennel Cough: Pros and Cons of Vaccinations for Service Dogs
I have had a service dog for over 16 years and last week was my first experience with kennel cough. Whistle and I have to go through our recertification process. And, a part of that process is updating his medical records and ensuring he has all of his required vaccines. One of those vaccines was bordetella to combat kennel cough. So about three weeks ago, our vet gave Whistle his bordetella vaccination.
Last week as Whistle and I were braving the holiday crowds to begin our Christmas shopping, he began to have a dry cough. The night before he had been devouring one of his favorite toys and I thought perhaps he had swallowed a small piece of the toy and he was trying to expel it.
However, the cough persisted throughout the day. By midnight, Whistle woke Franz and me up from a deep sleep. His cough was much worse and we felt compelled to take him to the emergency vet to get a professional opinion. When we entered the emergency vet facility he coughed. The receptionist immediately said, “He has kennel cough” and told us it was highly contagious. The emergency vet listened to his cough and officially diagnosed it as kennel cough. Instead of putting him on antibiotics he prescribed a cough suppressant. He said that because he was healthy and the antibiotics would not start working immediately, his immune system could handle the respiratory infection. If not, we were instructed to take him to our regular vet or to come back to the emergency vet.
He also recommended letting Whistle take it easy for a couple of days until the cough subsided. The vet told us that kennel cough symptoms include a dry cough and tracheal irritation that lasts anywhere from 7-10 days and fortunately, a dog’s general state of health and happiness is unaffected. Whistle did not show any other symptoms of being sick other than the persistent, dry cough. And, I am happy to say that after a few days of cough suppressant and some rest and relaxation, he seems to be recovering.
This does bring up the bigger issue of vaccination. Many people have varying feelings about the benefits and risks of vaccinations. Most communities have laws regarding vaccination requirements for domestic animals. For service dogs and other working dogs that require public access, vaccines are not voluntary. If I want to travel domestically and/or internationally with Whistle, I have to fulfill the International Health Certificate requirements, public access requirements and any additional requirements of my service dog agency.
I feel terrible that the vaccine gave Whistle kennel cough but that sure seems to be the case. I have witnessed the pros and cons of vaccines and I have always struggled with the dilemma of whether or not to vaccinate my service animals. I always relent because I need them to have full public access and I need him to be able to travel both domestically and internationally with me. I would love to hear from other service and working dog partners about your vaccination philosophies and experiences.