Author: PetGd

Pets bring joy to people’s lives and positively impact your health and well-being. But they can also unintentionally cause trip-and-fall injuries, even resulting in visits to the emergency room.  Pet-related fall injuries occur more often than you might think, so being aware of the hazards and taking steps to prevent trips and falls can help you avoid emergency situations. How Common Are Fall Injuries Caused by Pets? A 2010 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control revealed that pet-related fall injuries happen with relative frequency. An estimated 86,629 fall injuries associated with cats and dogs occurred in the United States each year from 2001 to 2006. Of these, seven and a half times as many injuries were caused by dogs in comparison to cats. The most common injuries reported were fractures, bruises and abrasions, most of these occurring in the extremities. According to the 2010 CDC study, while injury rates were the highest for people over 75 years old, pets were fall hazards for people of all ages. Jenn Fiendish, a veterinary behavior technician who runs Happy Power Behavior and Training in Portland, Oregon, says it’s not uncommon for pet parents to sustain an injury from falling or tripping over a dog. “This is often due to behaviors such as lunging at other animals, jumping onto or trying to get past an owner, and forceful pulling on the leash,” she says. Fall Injuries Within Your Home Fall injuries can happen anywhere, even at home. You might be at the stove cooking, for example, and your pup may be right behind you, waiting for food to drop, says Melissa Winkle, an occupational therapist and president or Dogwood Therapy Services in Albuquerque, New Mexico, who works with people with disabilities. “And [they] stay so close that when you turn around, you trip.” Or you might come home to an excited dog who has been left alone all day, arms full of groceries, and if your dog jumps up excitedly and runs around your legs, you can easily trip. Winkle further cautions pet parents about the hazards of a jumping dog. “Typically we see people get new pups or smaller adult dogs, and families allow the puppy to jump … Then the pup grows up knowing that this behavior will be rewarded,” says Winkle. In this case, the bigger issue is a lack of proper training that can cause a fall injury. How Fall Injuries Can Happen Outdoors Retractable leashes are another common cause for fall injuries, according to Winkle. “People give their dogs 8 feet of leash, and the dog sees something or hears something and gets a running start, giving them mechanical advantage, and pulls the person over,” says Winkle. Dogs can also change directions abruptly or get caught up in their leash while using a retractable dog leash. “I have seen both dogs and people get serious injuries from these kinds of leashes,” says Winkle. Winkle suggests using a fixed-length 4-6 foot dog leash and being aware of your environment so you can predict if your dog will take off. Dog parks are prime spots for both dog and human fall injuries, says Winkle. “People get to talking on the phone or to other pet parents and forget to watch their dogs,” says Winkle. Dogs tend to pay more attention to each other while playing, so it’s not unusual for them to run full-tilt into an unsuspecting bystander. “Supervision is the key,” she adds. Obedience Training to Prevent Fall Injuries The CDC report says that obedience training is an important factor in reducing falls. Walking your dog on a loose leash and teaching her to stay to one side of you (aka heeling) are two training skills that can reduce the risk of tripping over a dog, explains Fiendish. “For animals with more severe behavioral issues like leash reactivity or fear aggression, one must work with a qualified behaviorist or trainer so that the root problem is addressed along with behavior modification and training,” she adds. The same training can also apply to cats and smaller dogs, she says. (Although most injuries are caused by dogs, tripping over a cat is also a real risk.) “In addition to training, the use of a collar bell is also helpful, as it gives an owner the ability to hear the pet and thus alerts them to their presence.” Winkle says that providing environmental controls, such as the Carlson Pet Products extra wide walk-thru dog gate, can be a convenient way to keep both human and pup safe. “This particular product allows people to get through easily with a very shallow step-over, and it is tall enough to keep even larger breeds out of high-traffic and low-attention areas.” Many of these trip-and-fall injuries can be prevented if both human and dog have an understanding of the rules, says Winkle. “It really boils down to training together, having a relationship, watching the dog and managing the environment all the time,” she says. Assessing your lifestyle and physical status is also essential, says Fiendish. “Big, exuberant dogs as well as small, ‘hard-to-keep-track-of’ animals are often not a great choice for those with mobility issues.” Fall injuries caused by tripping over a cat or dog happen more often than people may think—and it impacts people of all ages. Being aware, reducing risk factors and investing in obedience training can go a long way towards preventing accidents. By: Paula Fitzsimmons Featured Image: iStock.com/Yurikr

If you’ve ever taken a walk with your dog in the woods or through a field, only to have your best friend scratching up a storm for the next several days, you might have experienced a chigger attack. These tiny, red pests are so small that you might not even notice them on your dog but, once they become a source of itchy discomfort, they’re difficult to ignore. Find out what chiggers are, and how to treat them, below. What Are Chiggers? The scientific name for chiggers is Trombiculamites, but they’re also known as red bugs, harvest mites, itch mites and scrub mites. The tiny pests are commonly found in the woods and areas with tall grasses, particularly in the southeastern part of the United States. Chiggers in their larval stage feed on a variety of animals, birds and reptiles. Their bites cause intense itching, which can be miserable for dogs that venture into a chigger’s natural habitat. To make matters worse, the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists (AAVP) notes that emerging chigger larvae tend to congregate in one area, which means an unsuspecting host is likely to be exposed to a whole swarm of chiggers at one time. “They’re so tiny you can just barely see them,” said Dr. Susan E. Little, chair of Veterinary Pathobiology at Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences. And for pet parents that lead an active lifestyle with their pets, a single infestation of chiggers can be enough to keep you indoors, Little said. Probably the biggest misconception about chiggers is that they burrow into the skin and feed on blood. However, chiggers actually feed on skin cells and don’t penetrate the skin, Little said. When the larval chigger attaches to its host, its salivary secretions harden to form a tube, known as a stylostome, which the chigger uses to suck up liquefied skin tissue from the host, according to the AAVP. Feeding can last several days. When the chigger finishes, it detaches and proceeds to the next stage of its lifecycle, the prenymphal stage. Meanwhile, the feeding tube stays attached to the host and is what causes the lingering itchiness. Chigger bites are most common during the summer and fall months and the main symptoms are severe itching. Scratching the bites can lead to a secondary infection, but chiggers do not carry disease, according to the AAVP. Treating Chigger Bites A dog’s body is fairly well protected from chigger bites because of its fur, Little said, but chiggers can attach to a dog’s head, particularly the skin in and around a dog’s ears and eyes. “The sooner you get them off the better,” Little said. To remove chiggers from these sensitive areas, Little recommends wiping the area with a soft cloth or vet-recommended skin wipe. A warm bath can also help. In cases of severe infestation, a vet may prescribe prednisone to ease skin inflammation from scratching, Little said. Additionally, systemic pet treatments containing acaricides (any medication used for killing ticks and mites, like Frontline, Revolution and Seresto) kill chiggers as well as ticks and can help repel the pests.

Why Drop It Is an Important Safety Cue Curious dogs can get into trouble when they pick up items like chicken bones or socks. A strong “drop it” will keep your dog from ingesting the contraband and will keep you from paying an expensive veterinary bill. “Drop it” can be challenging to teach, since you might be competing with items that dogs love, like garbage, but steady practice will help create a “drop it” cue that’s almost automatic. How to Teach a Dog to Drop It It’s important to start off “drop it” training by using low-value items that your dog will happily release, and one of the easiest options is to use dog toys Start the process with two toys of equal value. Throw one, and when your dog brings it back to you, offer him the other one by wiggling it in front of him. When he opens his mouth to reach for the new toy, name the action by saying “drop.” Repeat the process until you can say “drop” and have your dog automatically release the toy when you ask. You can also use treats to encourage your dog to drop items. When your dog has something in his mouth that you’d like him to release, place a treat near his nose. Your dog will likely let go of the item in order to get the treat, so say “drop” when he opens his mouth, then give him the treat. Practice this step with a variety of items, until you can ask for the drop without having to put the treat in front of your dog’s nose.,WRITTEN BY Victoria Schade, CPDT-KA Animal Trainer,Image via iStock.com/Dirima By Victoria Schade Going through basic dog training is an important step for pet parents and their dogs, particularly because some of the cues you learn together can be literal lifesavers. While obedience training helps to develop a common language and cement the bond between dog and handler, many dog training lessons also ensure your dog’s safety. Here are four basic dog training cues that might save your dog’s life one day. Why Sit Is an Important Safety Cue Sit is the foundation of all safety behaviors. It can be used to keep your dog from harm by redirecting him if he is reactive around people or other dogs. It can also keep others safe if your dog has a tendency to jump on children or older people. Sit is a basic behavior that every dog should know. How to Train a Dog to Sit Sit is a straightforward cue to teach. Since your dog frequently assumes the position throughout the day, you can take advantage of it by “capturing” him in the act. To train a dog to sit, simply say the word “sit” as your dog goes into the position, then follow up with a small treat. It’ll take about ten to twenty repetitions before your dog makes the association between what he’s doing and the word you’re saying, but you’ll soon be able to say “sit” and have your dog respond. You can also lure your dog into position by using bite-sized, high-value treats, like Stella & Chewy’s Carnivore Crunch freeze-dried chicken treats. Take a treat and hold it directly in front of your dog’s nose so that he keeps all four paws are on the ground. Slowly move the treat back over your dog’s forehead, between his eyes, so that his nose follows the movement of the treat. As your dog’s nose goes up, his rump will go down, and the moment his rear hits the ground, give him his treat. Repeat this luring process a few times, then stand still and wait for your dog to offer the position to you. Celebrate with praise and a treat when he does it! On the next attempt, wait for your dog to move into position, and say the word “sit” as he does it. Much like the captured sit, it should take several repetitions before your dog makes the connection between the word and the behavior.