Will your dog get fat? Is your dog at risk? In my last few blogs, I discussed this deadly disease that could be affecting your dog or your neighbor's dog. We talked about how your dog may be fat but that your vet may not tell you. Knowing that more than 50% of dogs are overweight, Let's look at 7  risk factors that increase the chances that your dog might get fat and not your neighbor's dog.

1. Your dog is spayed or neutered. Your dog's risk doubles with the removal of the sex hormones.

2. Your dog is getting older. Yes, you read that right. As your dog gets older, the risk goes up. But you don't have a lot of options here.

3. Your dog was a chubby puppy. Although pudgy pups are cute, they become overweight adults. Not so cute.

4. Your dog has access to food 24/7. Most dogs don't stop eating when they are full. They stop when the food is gone.

5. Your dog eats lots of processed treats. Just as in people, its easy to take in lots of empty calories quickly when eating tasty processed snacks like dog biscuits, imitation pepperoni or bacon treats, or worse yet, chips and crackers! Okay, I don't know many people who eat dog biscuits, but you get what I'm trying to say here.

6. Your dog is a couch potato. Lack of exercise means the metabolism is going to be slow and not many calories will be burned. Its easy to eat more than you burn if you don't move much. Plus lots of other good stuff that promotes fat loss happens when your dog exercises.

7. Your dog eats a diet high in carbohydrates. Excess carbohydrates gets stored as fat. Combine a diet high in carbohydrates with little to no exercise and you've got a recipe for obesity.

If you want to keep your dog from getting fat, then lower your dog's risk factors. You have control over several of them. Do right by your dog. As they say, be the person your dog thinks you are.

"Your dog is fat." are words you may never hear from your veterinarian. This would be great if it was because dog is indeed not fat. If only that were truly the case. Unfortunately we know that there is greater than a  50% chance that your dog IS fat, but your vet may not tell you anyway.

Although over-nutrition is the number one nutritional disease in America now for dogs and cats, and although dogs that are overweight by even a small amount have a documented shortened life span of nearly 2 years, your vet may not want to tell you. Despite the increased risk of cancer, heart and lung disease, diabetes, arthritis, and more, you may be hard pressed to find a veterinarian who will diagnose this deadly disease in your pooch.

Why? you ask. Why wouldn't your family vet tell you if your furbaby is at risk? Why wouldn't she alert you to this deadly but preventable, even treatable condition?

Having spent many years in family practice, I see several reasons why your vet doesn't want to tell you.

1. You take it personally. Let's face it, if you are overweight, your dog tends to be overweight.We veterinarians are typically quite sensitive to how others feel. We don't want you to feel bad about your heavy pup or yourself. Besides, any vet who speaks up about overweight dogs has probably irritated some pet parents along the way. We don't want you to stop coming to see us. So, we quietly sit by and let you slowly kill your dog. We may make little comments about how Fido seems fluffy, or well-fed, but we don't dare use the other "F" word (fat.)

2. You don't care. This is likely the most frustrating reason for us veterinarians. Your dog has a completely preventable and treatable condition that doesn't require expensive testing or medication and you refuse to believe its a problem. It's the "He's fat and happy, doc." explanation. Really? I will agree with the "He's fat" part but happy? He may happily devour his food but will he enjoy having daily insulin injections for diabetes? Will he be happy living nearly two years less? Is he happy being too heavy to run and play? Is eating the only activity he has the ability to enjoy?


3. Size matters to you. This is more for those owners of large and giant breeds. I find that those who own Mastiffs, St. Bernards, etc like the shock value in telling people how much their dog weighs. Disregard the fact that 30 of those 180 pounds are sheer fat! It's the number that matters to these dog owners. They may say things like "His dad weighed 200, as an explanation of why their fully grown dog gained 25 pounds (of fat) last year. Was Dad fat too, I have to wonder? If your goal in life is to seek attention through your dog, then try getting you dog in physically fantastic shape  Imagine the gasps of wonder when you have a 150 pound beast with rippling muscles!


4. Your vet doesn't recognize it. This one is becoming less and less common, but it still exists. Some vets just don't notice a mildly overweight pup. Its hard to miss the morbidly obese ones, but research proves that even a little extra body fat can have detrimental effects on your dog's health. Its that slow weight gain that sneaks up on you and many vets may miss this at your dog's exam if they are looking for it closely.

5. Your vet doesn't know what to do about it (or have the time to teach you.) We all know to lose weight you must cut calories and increase exercise. But how many calories should your dog eat? How much exercise? Is walking enough? (For the record, no.) Which food is best to help your dog lose weight? Do you have to worry about depriving him of nutrients? Won't he lose muscle too? Even if your vet knows the answers to these questions, your vet may not have the time to go over every detail of your pet's nutrition with you. Your vet is busy and so you are given the standard "cut calories, and walk him more" advise.


6. Your vet has given up on you. Your vet has told you every year that your dog is overweight and steadily gaining. She has warned you on the dangers. She has recommended foods and diets, and exercise plans. She has listened to your excuses and listened to you argue with your family members as to whose fault it is. What she has not heard is a commitment to change. And so she gave up on you. You may care about your dog, but not enough to do what matters. Your vet has decided that she has done everything she can. At some point in time, you as the pet parent must decide to do something that will help your dog live longer, better, and healthier. We can't do it for you.

The good news is that with expert guidance and a custom fitness plan, a healthy weight is a realistic goal for EVERY dog. And it can be done without depriving your dog of displays of your love! The fitness plan itself becomes a manifestation of your love for your best canine buddy! Call today to start showing the love!


 

Your dog might be suffering from a chronic disease. A deadly, painful, expensive to care for disease. This disease will cost you. Big time. It will cost you in many ways, and it will cost your dog too. Your dog may already have it. Your friend's dog may have it. It's all around us and most people don't realize it.

This deadly disease will rob you of 2 years of friendship with your dog. That's 2 birthdays, more than 20 major holidays, and 104 weekends spent alone, without your best friend. That's 730 days, and 730 nights, those lonely nights, with nothing but your memories. And some of those memories will be tainted. They will be tainted with the pain of knowing you could have done something to help prevent this from happening. And the guilt of knowing your fur baby was in pain and you could have helped stop it from happening in the first place. If only you had known. If only.

This disease will cost you before that too. It will cost you in the last weeks, months, or even years of your dog's life that will be filled with medical tests, being poked with needles, countless medications, and time spent with the vet instead of with you. There will be pain and suffering. Your dog will experience it physically. You will experience it emotionally, and financially. Oh yes, this disease will cost you. Multiple studies have confirmed this.

Would you like to know what disease I am talking about?      Obesity.

The number one nutritional disease seen in the U.S. is now overnutrition.

Now that I've got your attention, stay tuned for more information in the coming blogs. We will discuss what causes this disease, who gets it, how to identify it in the early stages, what we can do to prevent it , how to treat it, why its happening, and more.

Balance is one of my favorite things to train, in my patients, my kids, and even myself. It's so rewarding to see progress in this area and its typically fun to train. So, 7 sevens reasons why better balance benefits both you and your dog!

1. Keeps your dog young. Balance is foundational to fitness and good health, which delays the onset of signs of aging.

2. Strengthen your dog's core. A strong core leads to better quality of life.

3. Improves performance in sports, and life in general. Whether its chasing birds in the yard or chasing the lure, better balance allows your dog to do better.

4.Protects against injury. This is a big one. This is one of the best reasons why every dog, including yours, would benefit from balance training. This not only includes major injuries and falls but those tweaks and strains of daily life too. Better balance, less likely to get hurt. Period.

5. Reduces Anxiety. Balance training requires concentration and focus.  Achieving and maintaining balance becomes the focus instead of whatever is making your dog feel ill at ease. And exercise in general produces an overall sense of well-being.

6. Boosts the Brain. Studies indicate that exercise wards off the effects of dementia in both people and their canine  pals. Complex movements force the mind to work harder and balance training is a great way to stimulate this.

7. Gives Fast Results. Balance training is quite rewarding in that improvement can be seen quickly. Balance is a learned activity so improvement can be seen in as little as 2 weeks of consistent training 3-4 x week. There's no reason to delay starting your dog's balance training!

 I have spent the last month diligently working to get a therapeutic whirlpool in place here in my clinic. Well, I am pleased to report that its grand opening is coming soon! In a very short period of time, I will be able to provide another means to help injured, older, or arthritic dogs. I have been seeking ways in which to help those dogs that are not capable of using my dog gym and I have found the perfect solution.What a great present to all those dogs in need just in time for the holidays!

How does a therapeutic whirlpool or hot tub help your dog, you ask? I shall tell you. The water in the hot tub provides buoyancy to assist your dog if she is unable to support herself. Is she too weak, too frail, too painful, too arthritic to stand on her own?  Is she recovering from surgery and unable to tolerate full weight bearing? Let the water assist. Let me and my doggie life vest assist as well. When the water is elbow to shoulder height, it reduces the need for weight bearing. Does your dog have sore achey joints? Does your dog's pain get worse in the colder weather? Don't you wish you had access to a heated pool or spa so your dog could get some pain relief? My therapeutic hot tub can do that  too. Even just standing or sitting in the heated water can increase circulation, reduce pain and make your dog feel better. Let's talk about hydrostatic pressure. That's the pressure of the water on your dog's muscles and joints. Its like a massage and a warm compress all rolled into one, while also supporting your dog's weight. And there's resistance jets. My therapeutic whirlpool has 5 resistance jets. Need to stimulate blood flow more? Need to strengthen? Take a few steps in my whirlpool while the jets are on. If your dog is small enough, she can go for a swim even! What if your dog is paralyzed? Studies show that paralyzed dogs are more likely to begin walking in water rather than on land first. Your dog can relearn to walk using my therapeutic whirlpool. Its large enough for most dogs, including golden retreivers and other large dogs, to be able to walk a few laps.

The best Christmas present I can give to any dog is the gift of pain relief. It warms my heart that I can offer this to your dog now. Come check out my therapeutic whirlpool soon!!!

Hello, all!! So today, let's talk about the benefits of fresh foods in fighting and preventing cancer. Many dogs eats dry commercial food which is highly processed and intensely cooked. In fact its cooked so much that vitamins and minerals are added back in after the cooking process to make it "complete and balanced." But nothing beats good ol' Mother Nature when it comes to providing nutrients!

Nature provides us with an array of fruits and vegetables that are rich in phytonutrients, antioxidants, enzymes and very likely still unidentified nutrients. We all know that eating our vegetables is good for us, but what about our dogs? Should they eat them too? Or should they be eating mostly meat?

The short answer is yes, your dog should be eating fresh fruits and vegetables. There's a catch though. If you haven't noticed, dogs are by nature, gulpers when it comes to their food. They tend not to chew much, and even if they did their saliva doesn't contain the enzyme that ours does that helps to break down the food and the cell walls in plants. Your dog's stomach cannot break down the cell walls in food from plants, including fruits and vegetables. Chewing our food aids in digestion for us because of that important enzyme in our saliva. Chewing won't help your dog access the wonderful nutrients that are in those fresh fruits and vegetables though. If they can't get to the nutrients they certainly can't utilize them to help prevent cancer.
 
If they can't access the nutrients, then how, Dr. Sonnet, you ask, do they get the health benefits? You must help them. Cook the vegetables as you would cook them for yourself (steam them, microwave them, etc.) Then put them in a food processor and puree them. Strain out any big chunks until it's the consistency of baby food. What you have left is pureed fresh vegetables. Puree the fruits as well (no seeds please.) Now, you are ready to feed your dog a delicious healthy treat so that your dog can get all those wonderful anti-cancer fighting nutrients! Remember to feed a variety using all the colors of the rainbow to maximize it!

Let's take a moment to return to those senior dogs out there. Yes, yes, you've heard me say old dogs are the best. (It's true, they are) But old dogs also deserve the best! After a lifetime of love and commitment to you, instead of writing off your old dog as "too old" and researching for a new puppy, I urge you to make the best of those final months  and turn it into several years!

But back to the topic at hand: degenerative myelopathy. DM, as its sometimes abbreviated, is a spontaneously occurring spinal cord disorder affecting dogs that is similar to Lou Gehrig's disease in people. It can occur in any breed but is more common in certain breeds like German Shepherds, Corgis, and Boxers. It usually occurs between 8 and 14 years of age and those dogs with the genetic mutation for DM are more likely to develop it.

Degenerative Myelopathy causes a progressive loss of nerve function and weakness in the body. At first, you will notice a loss of coordination in the back legs. You may see your dog drag his back feet or "knuckle" over in the back. He will seem wobbly and unsteady in the back legs, appearing to walk like a drunken sailor. You will notice that he is weaker in the back end. He may no longer be able to go up steps or get into the car. He may have trouble holding the position to "go potty." This will worsen over time to where your dog will have trouble standing.  As the disease advances, it will affect his front legs, and he will lose control over his urination and his bowels. Rear limb paralysis usually occurs within 6-12 months without physical rehabilitation.

While the disease is incurable and will ultimately end in death or euthanasia, aggressive physical rehabilitation has been shown to slow the progression of the disease. Physical rehabilitation can also manage any secondary discomfort that may arise due to compensations for the weakness in the rear legs. Assistive devices are necessary as it progresses and a rehab vet will be able to assist with knowing when and what to use. Ultimately, a custom cart may be in order to keep your dog mobile for as long as possible. With rehab, life can be extended by months to even a few years. And more importantly, it can be good quality life, with mobility and free of pain!

This is the last installment in our series on how Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages can be applied to dogs. We have learned about Acts of Service, Gifts, Words of Affirmation, and Physical Touch. Today we explore the final one:
Quality Time. 

If your love language is Quality Time then you feel loved when people spend time with you. There are different “dialects” of this, according to Gary Chapman. You may enjoy spending one-on-one time with someone, engaging in
conversation, or you may enjoy doing activities together without talking so much. The same may be true for your dog. Your dog may enjoy doing activities with you. Many dogs enjoy going for walks or playing ball with their owners.
Some dogs love camping and hiking with you. Some like to lounge on the couch next to you while you watch videos. Some dogs want you and only you around, while others are happy to be included in the group. My foster dog Jade loved the one-on- one attention while being brushed and pampered. She did not love when I left for work. My other foster dog Josh like being included with the rest of the family and he didn’t like to be singled out so much. Quality time I believe is a  common love language for dogs. Many of the dogs I’ve known just want to spend time with the ones they love. Perhaps that is why we receive such exuberant greetings when we return home to them, or we offer to take them with us. 
 
Yes, I think my sweet, old Belle feels loved when I am near. She follows me from room to room. There is usually a lag time in which she must awaken from her deep sleep (she is mostly deaf now) to realize that I have moved. She picks up her old bones and scuffs along the hallway looking for me. When she finds me she will lie down again nearby. She repeats this process most of the day. I don’t know about you, but it makes me feel loved too.

Yes, it's true. Overweight dogs die younger. They die an average of 2 years younger than their healthy and fit counterparts. In fact most of the medical concerns that overweight and obese people experience also hold true for dogs. That includes an increased risk for heart disease, joint disease, cancer, diabetes, and on top of that overweight dogs will experience a poorer quality of life with more physical pain likely. But does anyone care?

Annual surveys and reports indicate that the as the average American expands so do their kids and their pets. Despite a stable population, America is growing! And not in a good way! We are literally eating ourselves to death. In a nation of plenty, overnutrition is the most common nutritional disease diagnosed in pets today. Unfortunately, most Americans don't recognize it in their own pets. And sadly, when it is recognized, it is often laughed off as the pet parents tell me  eating is the highlight of their dog's day. What a sad turn of events that many pet parents wait until their dog suffers a painful injury such as a torn cruciate ligament or back pain before they even consider doing anything to help their dog. Why must we wait until a loved one experiences pain and suffering before stepping up to help?

If your dog carries even a few extra pounds (can you see your dog's ribs? If you can't make out the edges then he likely carries an extra pound or two) he is at risk for medical concerns and a shortened life span. Did I mention the fact that there is often pain associated with these medical issues too? Even your dog doesn't die young, his quality of life will be affected. Don't wait another day! Contact me immediately to get your dog started on a veterinarian supervised medical weight loss program. Show your love by keeping him fit and healthy!

Recently we have reviewed 3 of Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages: acts of service, gifts, and words of affirmation and how they apply to dogs. There are only 2 left: Physical Touch and Quality Time. Today, let’s look at Physical
Touch and dogs.

If your love language is physical touch, then you feel loved when touched. This can be a high-five from your buddies or a spontaneous wrestling match that breaks out for fun. You may like to be hugged or hold hands. My 6  year old’s love language is physical touch. He frequently crawls into my lap, or his foot must touch me as we sit at the dinner table. He’s clingy in a physical way, holding hands or touching my hair. Perhaps your dog is like this. Does your dog always want to sit in your lap or lay on your feet? Does she push her head under your hand to get your attention? Does she cling to you, stand between your legs or lean against you frequently? If so, her love language may be physical
touch!  As with any of the love languages, withholding this expression of love can be devastating to a dog whose
love language is physical touch. So don’t be stingy with those pats on the head and a good belly rub! But beware those pats on the head or belly rubs if you are mistaken and the dog you reached for doesn’t have physical touch as his primary love language!

In my physical rehabilitation work, I have had dogs in my office who climbed into my lap as soon as I sat on the floor next to them, and I have had ones who only tolerated my touch (through dirty looks and occasional snarls) because Mom or Dad said they had to! As for my old girl, Belle, the senior Golden Retriever in my life, while she really enjoys touch, it is probably her second love language. Next week, the final love language: Quality Time.