Courtesy of the American Kennel Club

Owning a dog can be a great way to bring your family together, get exercise and become involved in activities that are enriching for both dog and owner. In fact, according to the AKC 21st Century Dog Owners Survey, 88% percent said that they consider their four-legged friend to be a member of the family. And, not surprisingly, 90% said they got a dog for companionship. So I’ve developed my Top 10 list of things you can do with your dog as your family member and companion.

1. Travel “canine” style: Pile your family into the car for a daytrip and visit dog-friendly parks, or beaches, (most parks indicate on their web sites whether and in what areas of the park dogs are allowed). Or if you’re up for a bigger excursion, consider a vacation with your best friend. Check ahead for lodging that accepts dogs. If flying, ask about travel accommodations for your dog when you make your reservations.

2. Enroll in canine training classes: Puppy kindergarten, agility, obedience, rally or performance courses are great ways to train your dog, and if your entire family attends, all will be on the same page in regard to training techniques.

3. Become active in competitive dog sports: Showing your canine companion in AKC Conformation, or participating in Obedience and Agility competitions is a family affair. AKC’s Junior Showmanship program allows children from ages 9-18 to compete in conformation and performance events, attend seminars, and earn scholarships while bonding with your dog. The events offer opportunities to get involved, stay fit, meet new friends and just have fun!

4. Take the AKC Canine Good Citizen challenge: Enlist your family members to train your dog to achieve her AKC Canine Good Citizen certification, designed to reward dogs that have good manners at home and in the community.

5. Dogs with jobs: Keep your dog active and alert by giving her tasks to complete. Kids can teach her to fetch their dirty laundry and put it in the hamper, while Mom and Dad can train her to fetch the morning paper, carry groceries or empty the dryer.

6. Encourage breed behavior: Find family activities that will encourage your dog to fulfill her breed’s purpose, such as retrieving (playing fetch in a swimming pool) or becoming a certified therapy dog (ideal for small companion breeds).

7. Responsibilities don’t have to be “ruff”: Assigning roles and responsibilities to care for your new four-legged friend can help you and your family work together. Decide who will be responsible for feeding, walking, grooming, etc. Prepare a schedule before bringing your puppy home and assign each family member a task.

8. Visit the vet: A trip to the veterinarian can be a good learning experience for the entire family. Routine check-ups will help keep your dog in top form and can also help teach the children a thing or two about the importance of health and well-being.

9. Help your dog help others: Dogs are invaluable in providing service to humans — visiting the sick, helping the disabled, locating missing persons, and much more. If your dog is of the correct temperament, your family and she can reap the rewards of helping others together!

10. Spend some downtime with your dog: Simply put, one of the greatest things you and your family can do with your dog is play! So start a game of fetch with Fido – playing with your new friend isn’t only fun for her — it is guaranteed fun for the entire family!

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By Jessica Tremayne, http://tinyurl.com/3jclmol

A recent groundbreaking study of clinical, histological and immunological data of 22 cases of Pemphigus foliaceus, or PF, shows evidence that it can occur as an adverse drug reaction to the canine flea and tick preventive ProMeris.

PF is the most common spontaneously occurring autoimmune skin disease of dogs and typically displays as lesions on the face, nasal planum and ears. The reaction is rare but serious, says the study’s lead author, Thierry Olivry, DrVet, PhD, Dipl. ACVD, of North Carolina State University.

Ultimately, ProMeris Duo (Metaflumizone–amitraz ), which is also used for treating demodicosis, will be discontinued. The product, marketed by Pfizer Animal Health, will be available while supplies last or until mid-September. ProMeris Duo is called ProMeris for Dogs in the US. It is a novel topical ectoparasiticide.

“ProMeris was one of the many products that Pfizer brought into its portfolio when we acquired Wyeth/Fort Dodge Animal Health,” says Jim Brick, director and team leader of U.S. marketing for Pfizer Inc.

“We have completed a thorough review and evaluation of the strategic fit into the Pfizer Animal Health portfolio, and have made the decision to discontinue the manufacture and sale of Promeris flea and tick control for dogs and cats.

“We notified our current customers of this decision in early April and will continue to fill their orders until Sept. 20, 2011, or while supplies last. We look forward to continuing to meet the needs of our customers with our evolving parasiticide portfolio.”

The study that gathered and presented the ProMeris findings was conducted by Dr. Olivry; Ursula Oberkirchner, resident; and pathologist Keith Linder, DVM, PhD, all of North Carolina State University.

Since ProMeris’ introduction to U.S. and European markets in 2007, veterinarians have reported this adverse reaction, but previous case studies failed to use a drug-reaction probability scale and therefore an ADR couldn’t be definitively identified.

Olivry says this examination of all parameters studied suggests that this ADR might represent the first instance of contact drug-triggered PF to be published in Veterinary Dermatology. The article was published in the March issue of the joural.

Spontaneously occurring PF, thought to develop through genetic and environmental triggers, has a higher prevalence in chow chows and Akita Inus, whereas ProMeris-triggered PF has a higher occurrence in Labrador retrievers and other large-breed dogs, Olivry says.

The study found that ProMeris Duo-associated PF not only had a reaction to the same drug, but also shared many of the same phenotypes. Lesions in PD-triggered PF were found to be both localized and at distant locations from the point of application.

“We contacted specialists who had diagnosed these cases in the U.S. and Europe,” Olivry says. “Dogs were selected if they had a history of skin lesions that first arose at the PD application site, but dogs with a known history of autoimmune disease were omitted.”

Skin biopsies from said PD-associated lesions had to reveal microscopic characteristics similar to those of PF, which means the presence of superficial keratinocyte acantholysis.

“Referring veterinarians from cases used completed questionnaires providing information on the patient’s lesions and drug application history. Within the 22 dogs included in this study, two groups of affected animals were distinguished: dogs with localized signs or those who also exhibited distant skin lesions.”

Olivry’s goal in revealing his study findings is to provide veterinarians with information on the prognosis and management of this disease. In addition to skin lesions, more severe reactions can occur and can be long-lasting.

“Signs of systemic illness were reported in three dogs in the study, and four required immunosuppressive treatment,” Olivry says. “After ADR PD lesions occur and are then treated, they could recur at a later time without reapplying ProMeris Duo.”

Olivry says the study is referenced in Pubmed as:
Metaflumizone-amitraz (Promeris)-associated pustular acantholytic dermatitis in 22 dogs: evidence suggests contact drug-triggered pemphigus foliaceus.

An NCSU Case study

Olivry recommends that veterinarians use alternatives to ProMeris in animals known to have autoimmune disease, Labradors and other large-breed dogs, as well as in dogs that previously developed lesions.

“Dogs developed lesions in a draping pattern or along the dorsal side after having ProMeris Duo applied,” Olivry says. “Some dogs showed systemic signs that included lethargy, generalized pain and anorexia. In the case of a 7-year-old (spayed) female Labrador, a two-week history of skin lesions and lameness was presented.

“Ten months prior to referral, the dog’s monthly flea and tick prevention was changed from Frontline to PD. The patient received a total of three PD applications, three and five months separating them. One month after the third application of PD, the owner noticed extensive crusting on the application site between the shoulder blades as well as lameness in the left front leg. The dog was examined by the primary care veterinarian, who suspected a tick-borne disease as the cause of this dog’s lameness. Doxycycline was then prescribed.”

One of Olivry’s concerns with lesions occurring after ProMeris application is that primary care practitioners may not be able to identify or connect the product as a cause of the lesions and misdiagnose the patient, as in the case of the 7-year-old female Labrador.

“Skin biopsies were taken from interscapular crusts and histopathology revealed an acantholytic dermatosis of unknown origin in the female Labrador,” Olivry says.

“The patient’s health worsened dramatically over the following days. The dog appeared in pain, she showed lameness of the left front paw and skin lesions had progressed. The veterinarian prescribed prednisone (1 mg/kg twice daily) and tramadol, while a fentanyl patch was applied and doxycycline was continued.

“Only minimal improvement of the lameness and skin lesions was seen with this regimen, and the patient was referred to North Carolina State University. Skin cytology was performed on pus obtained from a crusted lesion in the shoulder, and microscopic examination revealed neutrophils and acantholytic keratinocytes suggestive of PF. Serum was collected for detection of circulating antikeratinocyte autoantibody by indirect immunofluorescence (IF) in our laboratory.”

Based on the strong suspicion of the diagnosis of ProMeris-triggered pemphigus foliaceus (PTPF), Olivry says the dosage of prednisolone was increased to 1.5 mg/kg twice daily, and tramadol was to be given as needed to relieve pain.

“On histopathology, the presence of a superficial epidermal neutrophilic pustular dermatitis with keratinocyte acantholysis was confirmed, and bacteria or dermatophytes were not seen in the stratum corneum by special stains,” Olivry says.

“Direct IF performed on paraffin-embedded skin sections revealed the intercellular deposition of IgG and IgM in both lesional and perilesional epidermis. Circulating antikeratinocyte autoantibodies were not detected at 1:20 serum dilution.”

Olivry and his team concluded this case with a diagnosis of PTPF.

“The dog returned for a re-evaluation visit the following week,” Olivry says. “At that time, skin lesions had improved, as there was only minor crusting left in the interscapular region and pinnae. The dog no longer exhibited signs of lameness, and tramadol was discontinued. The dose of prednisolone was tapered progressively over the following 11 days. The disease has remained in remission without any relapse for more than two years.”

Efficacy

Before ProMeris became available for veterinary purchase and distribution, studies evaluating its safety and efficacy reported the development of skin lesions at the site of drug application in some treated animals, Olivry says. In one clinical trial enrolling dogs with flea or tick infestation, six of 293 subjects (2 percent) exhibited skin hyperpigmentation, hair matting or scales at application sites.

In another experimental study of dogs infested with either fleas or ticks, one dog treated with ProMeris developed dorsal skin lesions that required treatment with an anti-inflammatory drug for seven days.

“Specific information on the frequency of these severe adverse drug reactions isn’t available, but it is important that veterinarians are aware of the product’s potential to cause the patient harm,” Olivry says. “Caution needs to be exercised if a vet decides to use this drug.”

Diagnosing and Treating PTPF

(Editor’s note: The information in this story was taken directly from Oberkirchner U, Linder KE, Olivry T. Promeris-triggered pemphigus foliaceus in two dogs: case reports and recommendations for diagnosis and treatment. Veterinary Medicine, submitted March 2011. Not yet published).

How to diagnose generalized PTPF

• History of ProMeris application. This may have begun months before the onset of clinical signs.
• Development of skin lesions (e.g. crusting, alopecia, erythema) at the site of PD application.
• Later development of skin lesions at sites distant from the PD application area.
• Systemic signs (lethargy, fever, pain, anorexia, lameness) may be present in most dogs.
• Perform cytological examination of visible pus and look for acantholytic epidermal cells typical of pemphigus foliaceus (PF).
• Take several biopsies from recent skin lesions, preferably from intact pustules, and submit them for routine histopathology. Microscopic lesions are identical to those of typical autoimmune PF.
How to treat generalized PTPF
• Do not reapply PD.
• Use a mid-potency topical glucocorticoid at the site of skin lesions if feasible.
• Use oral glucocorticoids at immunosuppressive dosages (e.g. prednisone or similar, 2-4 mg/kg/day)
• If signs do not undergo clinical remission within one month, or if they recur after dose tapering, add another immunosuppressive drug such as azathioprine (2 mg/kg/day) or cyclosporine (7-10 mg/kg/day)
• Treat until clinical remission of lesions and taper drug doses progressively until withdrawal, if at all possible.
• Prognosis is generally good. Most dogs with generalized PTPF are likely to achieve complete disease remission and complete drug withdrawal. Oral immunosuppression may be prolonged in some patients

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Shared by Sharda Baker, http://tinyurl.com/5wcr2gg

Hi and welcome everyone!

This is Sharda with another healthy pet food newsletter update or should I say unhealthy pet food update?

I have actually been thinking of doing a newsletter like this before but I wanted to get more material that I can use to help tell everyone about these terrible dog food brands.

Now, I’m glad to tell you that I have collected enough materials to name names and point fingers.

Yes, in this newsletter I WILL name dog food brand names that you really need to avoid and why these dog food brands are one of the worst that you can possibly feed your dog.

I am doing this now because I believe that it is easier to avoid the bad dog food brands rather than look for good dog food and the worst thing about this?

There are times when our own vet doesn’t even know that the dog food brand they’re referring is actually bad for our dogs. Ironic isn’t it?

So without further ado let’s start and discuss about the worst dog food brands that we can feed our dogs.

Before I show you the names, I just want to tell you that these pet foods that I will be mentioning below have a few things in common in terms of ingredients and their companies. The first thing to note is that these pet foods all have CORN and OTHER GLUTEN ingredients in them that can cause dog allergies for some dogs.

But to tell you honestly, corn and gluten isn’t actually bad for your dogs they have good nutritional value but our canine buddies can’t actually digest these ingredients so they’re do not give our dogs any nutritional value whatsoever so feeding your dog these types of dog food is equivalent to feeding your dog air.

And what’s worse is that these ingredients, as I have mentioned above, can cause dog allergies. A condition that can’t be cured.

So, I think you will agree with me when I say that it’s better to prevent dog allergies rather than cure them and spend twice when you could have spent half just by buying a healthy pet food for your buddy.

Another thing that these dog food brands have in common is the fact that they’re handled by big time companies like, P & G, Nestle, etc.

It’s such a shame that these dog food companies have to resort to degrading the quality of their product just to gain more.

Here’s a fun fact, I’m sure you’ve all heard of the pet food called IAMS right?

To tell you frankly IAMS is one of the worst dog food brands in my list but IAMS was actually a good high quality dog food brand before. Well, before P & G bought the company that is.

You may be thinking, “so what went wrong Sharda?”

Well, the truth is that the original owner of IAMS was Mr. Paul Iams. Mr. Iams used high quality ingredients for his pet food brand and he never used cheap dog food ingredients just to make a profit which is one of the reasons why this dog food is so popular to date.

But then tragedy strikes and Mr. Paul Iams got sick in 1999 so he had to sell his company to the highest bidder which was P & G and that’s when IAMS started to go downhill.

They focused on marketing the pet food rather than concentrate on keeping the original high quality ingredient that it had. One of the things that really saddens me is that, this company is a big company and I believe they can afford to cough up the money to spend on high quality products that can continue what Mr. Paul Iams started.

Oh yeah! Another thing about P & G, they also own the EUKANUBA dog food brand which is also in my list of the worst dog foods.

I know you may be thinking that I got a bit caught up with the whole P & G company but it’s only because that they reduced one of the most loved and respected dog food into a pile of garbage that has cute commercials.

Really disheartening right?

Also, here are some of the ingredients that some of the pet food that I listed use;

BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytolulene) which is known to cause liver and kidney problems
Ethoxyquin which is one of the ingredients that is suspected to cause cancer.
Propylene glycol is an ingredient that can causes problems for our dog’s red blood cells.
So, with that out of the way I now present you with my 7 WORST DOG FOOD LIST;

Beneful Dog Food
Eukanuba Dog Food
IAMS Dog Food
Alpo Dog Food
Pedigree Dog Food
Kibbles ‘n Bits
Purina One
Remember everyone that what we feed our dog really makes a difference if you can help it I believe that good dog food is something that we can make in our kitchens. All natural dog food doesn’t have to be as expensive as other dog food companies want us to think.

I really hope that you learned a lot from this healthy pet food newsletter update.

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I had a newsletter from Dr. Jones in my inbox this morning which I found very disturbing to say the least.

Anyone in the holistic community knows that the big pharmaceutical companies are out to make as much money as possible, and often at the expense of our health and the health of our animal friends.

It has been my mission in life to bring attention to the alternative therapy options that can work WITH the body for healing instead of causing a further degeneration of health.

One of the biggest issues is over vaccinating our animals.

From Dr. Jones…

“Drug companies spend ways thinking about how to sell more stuff..

And it just so happens that Merial ( one of the LARGEST Veterinary Drug Companies), has a new promotion in the U.S. The Merial promotion is offering a free rabies vaccination for any dog or cat whose owner purchases a six-month supply of Frontline Plus flea and tick control.

This does NOT sound too appealing to me.

First in my opinion, the physical exam by your veterinarian is FAR more beneficial than ANY vaccine- but they are NOT encouraging that.

JUST How many Rabies vaccines does your pet need?…In most areas the requirement is now at most every 3 years.

Then there is the ‘kill everything at once’ insecticide and its potential side effects.

On top of all that would you be surprised to learn that Merial also sells Rabies vaccines?

Your pet would be far better off if you can give them something to help their immune system function optimally- and please consider some of the holistic methods of flea and tick control.

Here are Natural products I would suggest you look at:
Dog Supplements http://budurl.com/dogsupplement
Cat Supplements – http://tinyurl.com/3brud5d”

Want more ways to heal your pet at home and avoid vaccine induced health problems?

I would also suggest getting your copy of Dr. Jones’ Veterinary Secrets Revealed Home Study Course for more holistic therapies for common ailments.

http://budurl.com/drjonesvetsecrets

Want more? I recently interviewed bestselling, award winning author Jan Rasmussen on the topic of over vaccinating our animal friends.

What you’ll hear in this interview will change the way you think about vaccines forever! Don’t get your furrkid vaccinated until you’ve listened to this free interview on The Real Dr Doolittle Show:

http://www.valheart.com/blog/the-real-dr-doolittle-show/dangerous-vaccines-with-jan-rasmusen-on-the-real-dr-doolittle-show

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“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.” Anonymous quote, from “51 Puppy Tricks,” by Kyra Sundance.

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