Do Animals Actually Grieve Or Do They Just Need Another Playmate?

Often times we as pet parents feel that our current pets are lonely and need a playmate.  This happens a lot after the passing of one pet that another pet played with or spent a lot of time with so we may feel the need to get another one for the comfort of the remaining animal.  This is not necessarily something that needs to be done.  At least not right away.

Animals do grieve more than we think and they do feel the loss of a friend.  We need to give the animal time to grieve and let them tell us what they need.  For instance, if you have two pets (be them two cats, dogs or one of each) and they play together, sleep together, etc. then they are clearly bonded.  If one of them passes away then the other one may not play as much or at all or do any of the things he/she normally did when the other one was with you.

What should you do?  Keep the schedule as normal as possible and show as much love and comfort as possible.  If you are crying because of your loss then your pet may know your sadness and try to comfort you as well.  Let them comfort you because it may help them as well.

For a lot of people this whole "animal grieving" thing may sound strange but it is very real.  When I lost my rottweiler, Breda, she had been best friends with my Dane, Lucien.  They were so bonded they shared a crate (yes it is very big).  The day I had her pts was the worst day of my life.  I had no idea how it would affect Lucien and quite frankly was so absorbed in my own grief didn't really think about how this loss would affect him.  He began breaking out of his crate to go look for her.  He wouldn't go in his crate at meal time at night.  The sedatives I tried for him only made him more hyper.  I thought the scent of her on their bedding would comfort him but it only seemed to make things worse because he knew she was missing and tried to find her every day.  He was so very sad and was losing his mind.  I had to take the bedding out, get a new tray for the bottom and buy all new bedding for him so he didn't have any scent of her at all.  He eventually calmed down and he is now a very happy boy again but it took almost a year.

My friends who have Newfoundlands are dealing with their oldest, Thor, being diagnosed with

This is Thor.

Wobbler's Disease.  This is not curable but they are doing what they can to make him comfortable until it is time.  This disease involves the spine in the neck (cervical spine) and is a compression of that part of the spine.  Over time he will be paralyzed and will have to be put to sleep.  It may be days or months or years.  This is a disease which most often affects larger breed dogs but can affect small breeds although it is rare.

http://vet.osu.edu/wobbler-syndrome

Their Newfoundland puppy, Megan, is bonded to him and this breed is more sensitive than most large breed dogs.  My friends told me they have heard of Newfoundlands almost grieving themselves to death after the loss of a sibling.  It will definitely take Megan some time to grieve the loss of Thor no matter when it happens.  Of course anyone who has met these dogs will be grieving to some degree because they are wonderful, loving animals and cannot get enough attention.

There is no set time for your pet's grieving process and there is no right or wrong answer as to whether or not to get another pet.  You, as the parent, just have to gauge your pet's needs and maybe consider temporary fostering to see how things go.  You don't need to make a commitment if you are not sure if your pet will accept a new family member. That never goes well, in my experience.

As always, we welcome your feedback through comments and questions.  Send us topics you'd like us to discuss and share with people as well.  Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook and tell your family and friends about us.  Thanks for reading!

What Is It Like To Have A Big Dog And What Should You Expect?

I have to say I never thought I would ever be owned by a large breed dog.  I love them and think they are great dogs but didn't ever think one would be in my life.  So what is it like to be owned by one of these gentle giants?  What should you expect?  There are a lot of pros and some cons as with anything.

First of all these dogs are the sweetest dogs and are some of the most gentle animals on earth.  They are excellent with children and make wonderful family dogs.  They ironically do not take up as much room as you might think but they do eat on average 6 cups of food per day.  They love human attention and are loyal to their family pack.  As with any dog, though, they should be well socialized so they are good with other dogs minimally. 

Here's some information on some various large breeds:
http://www.vetstreet.com/dogs/great-dane

http://www.vetstreet.com/dogs/newfoundland

http://www.vetstreet.com/dogs/boxer

http://www.vetstreet.com/dogs/great-pyrenees

http://www.vetstreet.com/dogs/rottweiler

I put some of these links here because research of the breed you think you want is extremely important because just because a dog is cute doesn't mean the dog is good for your family.  For instance, smaller dogs may or may not be best for your family depending on the personality of the individual dog.  In my experience, small dogs such as chihuahuas, tend to be a little more snippy than other dogs and may not be the best around small children depending on the particular dog.  A lot of people are also afraid of rottweilers and they are honestly a wonderful family dog and are fantastic with children.  I was owned by a wonderful rottweilter for a few years (I got her when she was an adult) and we used to visit the children's playground and she would let the kids do whatever they wanted to her.  They are loyal dogs but definitely need training and are not for first time dog owners.

Some things to be prepared for prior to being owned by a large breed dog is the food bill (like I said...6 cups a day depending on the size of the dog), monthly heartworm and flea/tick costs, the loss of part of your couch, some drool (depending on gender and breed), and a great deal of love in return for just arriving home from work or school.  The larger breed dogs do not live the same life span as the small dogs which is honestly not fair but the love they give while they are with you is two-fold.

This is my Great Dane Lucien.  He's 4 years old.

Lucien loves to play with his humans, is great with dogs and cats, and is very loyal and protective.  However, if you call his name and give him a treat he will be your friend forever and show you where the good stuff is in the house.  Great Danes tend to be goofy dogs and will definitely keep you smiling and laughing. 

All of this being said, please research the breed of dog before you adopt or see a breeder.  There are so many misconceptions about a lot of breeds (ex. rottweilers, German Shepherds, "pitt bull") and the fact is any dog can bite or snap but if raised correctly and trained properly then they will be fine.  It is all about the owners and how the dog is trained and how kids behave around the dog, etc.  There are exceptions to every rule, however.  The key is personality and spending time with the dog prior to adoption.

As always, if you have any comments or questions feel free to let us know.  If you want to see a topic discussed please let us know and we will make it happen.  Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook and tell your family and friends about us!  Thanks for reading!

Do You Have A Large Breed Puppy That Is Limping? It Could Be Panosteitis.

For those with large breed dogs, or any dog really, this post is for you because when they are puppies their bones and joints are so fragile.  Playing has to be careful and they mostly just sleep.  Then the training comes and for those of us with big dogs know sometimes the stubborn streak kicks in and training time comes to an end.

They are also prone to several health issues.  I'd like to talk about one of these issues...Panosteitis.  It is also referred to as growing pains.  It is a painful thing for animals to go through and each instance can last 2-3 weeks and can switch legs for another 2-3 weeks of pain for the dog.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2084&aid=466

http://www.vetinfo.com/canine-panosteitis-symptoms.html

There is no cure for Panosteitis (Pano) except for time.  The pain can be managed with a variety of medication such as Rimadyl or Meloxicam but know that this treatment is simply managing the symptoms and not treating the cause of the pain. 

While this painful disease usually strikes younger male large breed dogs between 5-18 months, it can happen in any dog so it's important to know your animal as well as you would if he/she were a human baby.  That way you can tell when he/she isn't walking right or is a little wobbly, etc.

While no one knows what exactly causes Pano, it is thought to have a correlation to nutrition; particularly a high protein and high fat concentration.  The breed specific foods out on the market are not known to be helpful in preventing this disease either.

This is an x-ray of a dog with Pano.  It is labled so you can tell the difference between normal bone marrow and the Pano.  It is important for your vet to do an x-ray for this because Pano manifests

within the bone marrow which is easily seen on an xray as you can tell.    Nothing has been found to be a definitive cause of Pano as of yet but one theory is this disease is viral and not bacterial which means antibiotics are ineffective.  This is frustrating for owners watching their dogs in pain and know that the only thing they can do is give them pain medication and an anti-inflammatory.

The majority of dogs will grow out of this without any complications or side effects which is definitely a good thing. 

So what are we big dog lovers supposed to do?  The only real thing we can do is feed them the best food we can (I personally feed my Great Dane Purina One and my vet is happy with that), love them, and make sure we do the best we can.  Sound like the same thing you do for your children?  It's pretty much the same thing.  We can never know it all and never know what to do every time.  However, keeping and eye on them and knowing what is normal and what is not normal is half the battle.

As always your comments and questions are welcome.  Please let us know if you'd like a topic discussed here and we will make it happen.  Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter and of course tell your family and friends about us!  Thanks for reading.



Dogs and Arthritis...How Do Parents Help?

As you may have seen on our Twitter page yesterday, a friend's Newfoundland named Thor has bad arthritis and it seems to be getting worse.  I stayed with him last night while my friends went to training class with their Newfoundland puppy, Megan.   This advancement of Thor's pain got me thinking about what we as pet parents can do to help our fur kids if this ever happens to them and while there are tons of websites with ads for medications claiming to naturally help arthritis I personally had a hard time finding good information about this topic.  I did, however, find these three links that I liked:

http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/arthritis-in-dogs-symptoms-and-causes

http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/medications-supplements-dogs-arthritis

http://www.glucosamine-arthritis.org/arthritis-pets/glucosamine-large-dogs.html

Thor has had so many health problems which is unfortunate and very unlike the breed.  He has had a couple of shoulder surgeries, he has allergies to several things not the least of which is fleas and, of course, arthritis.  Big breed dogs often have issues with joints  which is why a lot of owners will give supplements to their big dogs to help with this later in life.  I personally give my Great Dane supplements to hopefully keep his joints as healthy as possible for as long as possible.

Thor at 4 years old

Arthritis is very painful, as the ones of you who know someone who has it or may have it yourself know, and as the disease progresses it becomes harder and harder to treat.  Pain medications can only do so much which is why it is very important to keep your dog as healthy as possible by feeding him/her the best food you can and visiting your vet so any early signs/symptoms can be detected.

There are several other conditions that can lead to arthritis in larger dogs such as hip dysplasia, cruciate ligament rupture and Osteochondrosis.  These conditions are very easy for a good vet to detect so if you notice any changes in your dog's gait, or if he/she cries out in pain during various everyday activities such as walking then call your vet immediately.

We all love our animals and keeping them healthy is extremely important.  Feed a good food, know what's normal for your animal and please see your vet every year.

As always, we welcome your comments, questions and topics you want to see posted.  Follow us on Twitter and tell your friends and family about us.