dog_of_instagram

25 October 2019

Raw pet food and superbugs

wmike Blog Barf, caninebehaviour, canine_behaviour, Dog behaviour, dog_of_instagram, Raw Meat Diets for Dogs

Raw pet food and superbugs

I have written about raw food diets in the past raw meat and your dog. This is often met with derision on social media, delirious owners opining how wonderful the raw diet is for their dogs – shiny noses, coats, etc. Any suggestion that the raw diet is not to be recommended can be met with fairly aggressive and zealot like responses.

A recent study was undertaken at the Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, Vetsuisse Faculty University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 272, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland (Nüesch-Inderbinen M, Treier A, Zurfluh K, Stephan R. 2019 Raw meat-based diets for companion animals: a potential source of transmission of pathogenic and antimicrobialresistant Enterobacteriaceae. R. Soc. open sci. 6:191170. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.191170) (supplementary information) looked at Raw Meat Based Diets (RMDB) and would suggest that my concerns are well-founded.

Of course, there are many claims made about the positive impact on dogs health and wellbeing reputed to be offered by raw diets. However, these are all anecdotal; there is zero scientific research to support these claims. This new study makes for disturbing reading.

The paper is quite long but is well worth a read. Some key points:

37 of 51 raw dog foods tested did not reach EU hygiene standards
32 products contained bacteria resistant to antibiotics (so-called, superbugs)
in 2017, four serious e-coli infections, related to raw dog food were reported in the UK, one of which was fatal

The researchers concluded:

RMBDs represent an emerging route of exposure of pets and their owners to bacterial pathogens
Resistant bacteria occurring in RMBDs include those that are identical to those causing disease in animals and humans worldwide and those resistant to crucially important antimicrobials
The possible transmission of harmful bacteria from RMBDs to companion animals and their owners poses a severe health risk, particularly to vulnerable persons such as infants, the elderly, pregnant or immuno-compromised individuals.

I have, of course, only provided some extracts from this research. Reading it in full is something I would recommend to responsible dog owners.

However, I will continue to avoid RMBDs at all costs. I believe it is like playing Russian roulette with the lives of our animals.

23 October 2019

Dogs need responsible owners…

wmike Blog caninebehaviour, canine_behaviour, Dog behaviour, Dog behaviourists, Dog exercise, Dog owners, Dog ownership, dog_of_instagram, dog_training

Dogs need responsible owners…

I was minded again today while talking with some dog owners of the need for owners to take responsibility for their dogs seriously.

Two, very similar, cases were brought to my attention.

The first was a family with a number of dogs, a small pack, basically. These dogs had been gathered by the family in question to protect the household. They, of course, live in a quiet village where protection is not really needed.

Unfortunately, as is the case with many families I come into contact with, these people did not understand, or perhaps, care about their responsibility to their dogs. The dogs had not, apparently, received any training and were barely in control behind the gates of their home. They did not seem to get much walking or exercise away from their home. So, that is case one.

The second follows along the same lines. This time a family living behind gates again. The husband had bought a powerful dog, again for protection. This dog was young and patrolled his patch, rushing aggressively to its gate in an attempt to get to any passing stranger, be it human of another dog. The people I was talking too were fearful of their and their dog’s safety. Again, this dog did not seem to be taken out for exercise and, clearly had not received much or any training. It sounded to me to be a serious problem in the making.

Both of these cases appear to demonstrate owners who fail to understand their responsibilities regarding their dogs. Indeed, the dogs in these two cases may at some stage represent a danger to humans and dogs alike.

All dogs need basic things, without exception:

Shelter
Safety
Food
Training
Exercise
Socialisation
Responsible owners

Any dog owner or potential dog owner must provide the above as a minimum. If you are unable to provide these basics for your dog, you should, simply, not bring a dog into your home.

30 September 2019

Humans and dog companionship

wmike Blog caninebehaviour, canine_behaviour, Dog behaviour, Dog behaviourists, Dog owners, Dog ownership, Dog rehoming, dogsofinstagram, dogsofinstaworld, dogstagram, dog_of_instagram

Humans and dog companionship

I was reminded of the impact dogs can have on our lives recently.

Nearing the end of a walk in one off Ziggys’ (my rescued companion) favourite places and heading back to the car we met a lady with a rather nervous dog. We stopped to chat.

As we talked Sue, my better half was chatting with a lady just within my eye line who did not appear to have a dog. A number of cars started pulling up. These cars brought with them the sound of extremely excited dogs.

The car doors opened and a variety of very happy dogs leapt out and all rushed to the river, closely accompanied by the ‘nervous’ dog, who by now was very happy indeed.

The lady without a dog joined the group of dogs and their owners and of they went for an enjoyable walk together.

Sue told me that the lady without the dog lived alone and this group of dog owners welcomed her for regular walks with the group and their dogs. This lady lived alone and could not accommodate a dog even though she loved to be around them. She told Sue that she got an enormous amount of pleasure from this group and the dogs.

There is a lot written about dogs and their impact on lonely people. This little vignette displayed it admirably. Thank goodness we still have people that appreciate the ‘value’ of canine companionship and are happy too share it.