As a rookie dog owner, Cotswolds writer James Fair was overwhelmed with advice – and dire warnings – about how to care for his puppy. But how many of the often-repeated ‘truths’ about canines are really myths?
The leg of a roe deer, a sparrowhawk carcass, a bloated dead frog, poo... these are just a few of our Australian shepherd’s favourite things. It’s hard to stop our dog Dakota scavenging while out on a countryside walk – there’s often something dead or decomposing in the next hedgerow.
When, a few months old, Dakota picked up the wing of a pigeon still attached to some grisly vertebrae, she carried it proudly around the valley like a glittering gold medal. I mentioned this to a seasoned-dog owner friend. “Never let them eat bones,” he warned. “They can cause all sorts of problems.” Really? I thought that was just cooked bones.
I also wondered what the fuss about chocolate was; when I was a kid, our retriever once snaffled the Easter eggs and suffered no ill effects. It got me thinking – what was true and what was a myth when it came to dog care? I spoke to a local vet and researched the science. I learned that while the myths mostly have some basis in fact, the truth – as ever – is more nuanced.
Don’t over-exercise your puppy
The standard advice is to walk your puppy for five minutes for every month of age they are and no more than twice a day. So, a four-month-old puppy could have two lots of 20 minutes’ exercise. The reason for this is the ends of their bones are still soft and growing, and too much pressure on them causes damage, leading to conditions such as arthritis in later life.
But our experience was that Dakota needed more than was ‘allowed’ or she would have what dog-people call ‘zoomies’ – careering around and crashing into walls. Surely, we reasoned, a gentle walk would be better? Dr Max Cory, who works at our local practice, George Vet Group, says the five-minute rule is for people who want clarity and isn’t hard and fast.
However, it’s important to avoid stairs (I carried Dakota for months because our living space is down a steep flight) and jumping in and out of cars. Labradors are prone to arthritis in their hips and elbows, and bigger dogs may be more affected, too.
“Weight management is very important,” Max adds. “If they are carrying a few too many pounds, that will put more weight through their joints.”
Conclusion: mostly true.
Kibble is best
These days, dry, kibble food is regarded as the best for your dog. Our vet says it offers the optimum nutrition, balancing proteins, fats and carbohydrates. So that’s what we went with. But then we got turned on to the new trend for raw foods. Dakota seems to relish these more, so we now give her dried food twice a day, raw once.
Max isn’t a fan. “There’s not enough scientific data in my view about them,” he says. (I checked and he’s right – of course.) There’s no evidence they are better for your pet, and there’s a risk they could be passing on pathogens, such as salmonella or toxoplasmosis.
Some people go completely freelance – homecooked chicken and rice, for example. Max says this doesn’t provide a complete diet, and he’s not convinced by vegan or vegetarian foods either. The key thing is to look at the ingredients: how much protein is there, how much fat, how much carbohydrate? Working dogs, and perhaps those that are lucky enough (like Dakota) to race around hills and woods on a regular basis, will need more of the first two.
Conclusion: mostly true – the evidence of the benefits for other foods is lacking.
Don’t let them in eat bones
Dakota is one of nature’s natural-born chewers. Sticks, sunglasses, plastic pots, the TV remote. You name it, she’ll chew it.
A juicy-looking, marrow-filled bone from the local butcher would appear to be the answer – she certainly prizes them highly. But be warned, says Max Cory. “Bones can splinter and cause an obstruction in the gut and they can break teeth,” he says.
Antlers are a real problem, a known cause of horizontal ‘slab’ fractures in teeth. The standard advice is not to give any cooked chicken (or other) bones. We absolutely avoid those (raw or cooked), but – despite Max’s advice – we’ll continue to get Dakota something substantial from the butcher every now and then.
The RSPCA says always go for human grade bones that your dog cannot swallow or fit completely in its mouth. Still, Max provides a different insight. “Once you’ve been up in the night opening up a dog to remove a bone from its gut, it changes how you think about these things,” he says.
Conclusion: definitely avoid small bones.
Use a harness, not a collar
Full body harnesses are very in vogue these days, and I can see the advantages if the dog or puppy pulls a lot and is large and powerful.
Harnesses need to be properly fitted, and some retailers offer a bespoke fitting service. Max says harnesses are appropriate for the flat-faced breeds, such as pugs and bulldogs, because they suffer from breathing problems.
But I’ve concluded that if your dog is pulling so much you need a harness, you should do more ‘heel’-related training! I’m not saying Dakota is perfect – far from it, especially when a roe deer flashes into view. And my view isn’t coloured, in any way, by the fact we did buy her a harness, and after just a week, she swiped it off the table and spent a happy hour or two chewing it to destruction.
A new training regime has recently turned me on to the benefits of a choke lead – it’s not to everyone’s taste, but it’s paying dividends in diverting Dakota’s focus away from livestock and other temptations.
Conclusion: only for particular breeds.
Chocolate is deadly to dogs
“Dad,” wailed my 14-year-old son, “I made myself a hot chocolate and Dakota ate some of the chocolate powder.” Brilliant, I thought. What do I do now? Take her to the vet? Stick my fingers down her throat? Relax – she’ll probably be fine? I wish I’d known then what I know now.
Yes, chocolate (it’s theobromine in the cocoa) is toxic to dogs, and in large-enough quantities causes seizures and internal bleeding. You need to be most concerned about dark chocolate. For a dog weighing 25kg, as little as 90g (3.5g for every kilo) could be dangerous.
For milk chocolate, however, the same dog would have to eat 350g. White chocolate contains almost no theobromine at all.
So, you need to know how much your dog has eaten. Treatment needs to start within the hour, and it’s an injection to make them sick and some charcoal solution to mop up anything’s that left. The bill – just north of £150 in our case – left me wincing financially though.
Raisins, sultanas, currants and fresh grapes are a different proposition. Just eating one could cause kidney failure and prove fatal. Ibuprofen (though not paracetamol) is also toxic, and lamb fat can inflame the pancreas.
Conclusion: yes – in certain quantities.
Parasite control is essential
It once seemed to me that you couldn’t go anywhere near a vet’s practice without being offered a treatment for ticks, fleas and worms – whether your pet needed one or not. As a journalist specialising in environmental issues, I know that insecticides, such as fipronil and imidacloprid, routinely used in these products, have devastating impacts on a wide range of wildlife, from mammals to invertebrates. Happily, our practice is changing its approach.
“We are moving towards a more risk-associated protocol,” Max says. “Rather than giving every dog everything on a monthly basis, we are working towards identifying how at risk each dog is and tailoring the approach.”
So, where are they being walked? Are they plunging into marshes or coming into contact with deer? That would put them at risk of ticks. If they’re just walking around town, it seems less likely. But ticks can spread lyme disease (symptoms include shifting lameness, weight loss and lethargy), while tapeworms can cause gastric issues and weight loss. Dakota was picking up ticks last summer, so I started her on a product containing afoxolaner and milbemycin oxime (impacts unknown), but I only dose her orally when I need to. If you use a spot-on treatment, don’t allow your dog to swim in a river or lake for the next three to four days.
Conclusion: not necessary all year round.
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