VOL 2 | ISSUE 1 | W I N TE R 2018 | FR E E
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family dogs
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Feral feline fix! pet gazette | WINTER 2018
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Finding a dog to fit your family Plan ahead to reap the rewards of a loving family pet.
By Kimberly Blaker
Traits to look for in a family dog
E
very year, thousands of dogs are turned over to animal shelters because they were given as a gift without first consulting the gift recipient or families discover they brought home a biter, barker, digger or jumper. When pets are given away, the pets, their owners and children all suffer. So before selecting your dog, do your homework. With a little pre-planning, you can find the dog that most closely fits your family’s or gift recipient’s lifestyle.
Variety of dogs, variety of nuisances
Dogs can create many nuisances. Some of these are more common in particular breeds. A barking dog helps protect against intruders. But excessive barking can become a problem. Breeds known for their barking include the Alaskan Malamute, American water spaniel, basset hound, Finnish spitz, fox and other terriers, Great Pyrenees and miniature schnauzer. A playful, energetic puppy can make a great playmate for your child. But as your puppy grows, that hyperactivity could become overwhelming. High-strung dogs often jump on people and tear through the house. Certain breeds tend to maintain that high energy level well into their adult-size bodies. Such breeds include Airedale terriers, boxers, Brittany and cocker spaniels, Dalmatians, Labrador 2
WINTER 2018 | pet gazette
and golden retrievers, Irish setters, Jack Russell terriers, pointers and schnauzers. Dogs dig for many reasons — to bury a bone, to escape from a fenced yard, to keep cool or out of boredom. A torn-up yard can be the last straw for many dog owners. These breeds tend to be diggers: fox terriers, Norwich terriers and Petit Basset Griffon Vendéens. Dogs can be aggressive for a variety of reasons. Poor breeding, physical abuse and even disease can cause aggression in a dog. Certain dominant breeds can also tend toward aggression if not handled by a firm and skilled trainer. These dogs should be chosen with caution and the understanding that they require strong leadership: Akitas, American pit bull terriers, bulldogs, bullmastiffs, chow chows, Doberman pinschers, German shepherds, Rottweilers, schnauzers, shih tzus, Siberian huskies and Weimaraners. Grooming is another consideration. While it may sound painless, the upkeep of certain breeds can be overwhelming. In addition to keeping claws trimmed and occasional baths, some dogs require lengthy daily brushing to remove tangles or trapped fur in double coats. Highmaintenance breeds include the American Eskimo dog, cocker spaniel, collie, Great Pyrenees, Lhaso apso, Old English sheepdog, poodle, schnauzer and terrier.
Many unforeseen problems can be avoided by finding a dog that’ll be easy for your child to handle so your child can assist in training. Easy trainers include American water spaniels, Australian shepherds, bichon frises, cocker spaniels, Irish setters, Italian greyhounds, Maltese and Shetland sheepdog. Calm, gentle breeds are important for families with small children. Keep in mind size alone doesn’t dictate these traits. Gentle breeds you might consider are basset hounds, beagles, bearded collies, Chinese cresteds, Great Danes, Great Pyrenees, Newfoundlands and mastiffs. Playful and energetic puppies work well for older children who won’t feel threatened by the dog’s full-grown size. Consider an American Eskimo dog, bloodhound, Brittany spaniel, Dalmatian, golden retriever, Irish wolfhound, Labrador retriever, pointer, poodle, Saint Bernard or schnauzer. There are many other traits to consider in choosing a new dog. Before bringing home your puppy, read a book or articles about the breed that interests you to determine if it will fit your family’s lifestyle. For personalized assistance in choosing a breed, go to selectsmart.com or one of the many other breed selection sites. You’ll be guided through a series of questions and receive a free personalized list of matches.
Special considerations
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 800,000 people, mostly children, are bitten severely enough every year to require medical attention. Infants and small children shouldn’t be left alone with a dog. It may be difficult to picture your lovable Fido as capable of hurting your child, but even the gentlest dogs have been known to bite. Little kids sometimes get too close to a dog while it’s eating or chewing a bone, or they startle a dog while it’s sleeping. Sometimes, small children hang on dogs, pull their tails or threaten a dog’s safety. This can lead to injury to either the dog or your child. In addition, dogs view their family as part of their pack. A properly trained dog should view adults and older children as
alpha (top dog). But a dog isn’t likely to view a small child in this light and may wield its authority when no one’s around. Apartment living is another consideration. The size of dog you choose is important to both your dog’s well-being and maintaining your sanity. High-energy and medium-to-large breeds generally need large areas to romp. Without it, your apartment could become a round-the-clock racetrack. Planning regular walks for these dogs may not be sufficient. You’ll tire long before your dog. Also, there will be occasions when you just won’t be able to accommodate your puppy’s need to exercise. The costs of pet ownership also should be weighed. First, there are the obvious costs such as purchasing pet food and annual vaccinations. Other expenses include licensing, monthly heart worm pills, chew toys, damaged belongings, fencing, training, unexpected veterinary expense, grooming, kenneling and more. If your family has members with bad allergies or asthma, check with your doctor before bringing any furred, feathered or finned pet into your home. Finally, keep in mind that no matter how
Traveling with Puppy
For some families, going on vacation without puppy is like leaving a family member behind. Therefore, hotels are beginning to accommodate families who travel with pets. Try one of the following that offers pet friendly services at some or most of its locations: • Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites by Marriott 800-228-9290 • Best Western 800-528-1234 • Hilton 800-445-8667 • Doubletree Hotels 800-222-8733. • Embassy Suites Hotels 800-3622779 • Holiday Inn 800-465-4329 • Comfort Inn 877-424-6423
sincere your child’s intent to care for his new pet, it’s a big responsibility. Ultimately, parents carry the brunt of the work. Also, the holiday season might not be the best time of year to bring home a new puppy. Families are generally too busy during the holidays to give a new pet the attention it needs. Choose a season when
you’ll be able to spend plenty of time with your new dog as it adjusts to its new home.
Where to find your dog
The Humane Society, an animal shelter or an accidental litter of pups are great places to find your dog at an affordable price. Giving a home to a dog that might otherwise be put to sleep or caged indefinitely and not contributing to the over population of dogs are good reasons to go this route. Furthermore, you’ll more often find mixed breeds through these methods. Mixed breeds are less likely to inherit the diseases and disabilities often common in pure breeds. Keep in mind, though, that sometimes these dogs are strays or weren’t properly cared for by their original owner. If a dog didn’t receive proper vaccinations, it could be at risk for disease. A dog that was abused by its previous owner could also pose risks. Ask the animal shelter what is known about the dog’s history. Another way to find your new puppy is through a breeder. Taking home a puppy whose history is known and hasn’t been continued on page 7
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Dr. Rebecca Tims with Tux | Gary Lawson, Oklahoma State University Marketing / provided
Life saver OSU vets use minimally invasive surgery when all else fails. By Jeremy Martin
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t first, the Whitakers thought their pug Tux just needed to work out more. “We were walking him one day and noticed that he looked a little heavier,” Cindy Whitaker recalled, “and we were like, ‘Okay, he’s putting on some weight. We need to exercise him and cut back on his food.’” Cindy and H.B. Whitaker, both high school teachers in Springdale, Arkansas, have five pugs. They weren’t initially alarmed last February when one of them seemed a little heavier than usual. “We thought maybe [Tux] was bloated,” Cindy Whitaker said. “We have five dogs, and they all eat at the same time and we thought well, maybe he had eaten too fast and gotten air in his stomach.” A local veterinarian took an X-ray. It turned out it wasn’t air; it was fluid. Unsure of the cause, the vet ordered tests and put Tux on a diuretic, draining as much as 2 liters of fluid a day through a syringe. X-rays, MRIs and Tux before surgery | Photo provided 4
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different tests to Tux’s other organs followed. The vet even took blood samples and mailed them to California to see if Tux had Lyme disease or something similar. It took three weeks to get the results back. They were negative Meanwhile, Tux’s abdomen continued to fill with fluid and his condition got worse. “He had no energy,” Cindy Whitaker said. “He wasn’t eating well. We had to put him on a high-protein diet because he was losing muscle mass. It was terrible. He was pitiful. I had to take him in every week to 10 days to get fluid drawn off his belly, and it was a liter to 2 liters every time.”
Euthanasia?
The Whitakers began to fear the worst. “Think about what a 2-liter bottle of Coke looks like, and that’s how much fluid they were taking off of this dog,” H.B Whitaker said, “and it was just taking a toll on him. The prognosis was he was probably going to have to be euthanized.” That was when their vet recommended taking Tux to Dr. Rebecca Tims, a veterinarian and resident in the small animal internal medicine department at Oklahoma State University. “He was very thin except he had this big pot belly,” Tims said of his first visit in March. But the cause of Tux’s medical problems was still unknown. Initial tests ruled out heart disease, so Tux underwent a computed tomography (CT) scan. “A lot of it was just trial and error,” Tims said. “We didn’t know
what we were getting into initially.” The approach mirrored an inspirational quote the Whitakers saw posted at the veterinary school and took comfort in: “Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try.” After consulting with veterinarians in New York City, the doctors at OSU determined the results of the CT scan showed dilation of Tux’s caudal vena cava, a large posterior vein connected to the heart. An angiogram using contrast dye to chart circulation confirmed the conclusion. “Sure enough, it got up to a certain point and the dye just stopped,” Cindy Whitaker said. “It paused for like a second, and then it would go throughout the rest of his body. His body had created new veins to alleviate the pressure on that one location so the fluid would go throughout his body. It looked like fingers, like little tendrils.” Tims hadn’t seen anything quite like it. “It was pretty remarkable how severe it was,” Tims said. She compared it to a plumbing system with a bottleneck that forced fluid to leak out “because the pressure is so high.”
A nontraditional solution
Although the initial cause of the blockage and subsequent buildup remains a mystery, the solution was clear. Tux was a perfect candidate for a minimally invasive surgical procedure that used advanced medical imaging and offered a briefer recovery time than traditional surgery. Dr. Andrew Hanzlicek, a veterinarian and associate professor of small animal internal medicine at OSU, said the university is increasingly performing these procedures to treat conditions affecting the lungs and airways, urinary systems and heart and major vessels. They’re preferable to a traditional surgery that might be risky or painful. The veterinarians at OSU began performing these procedures a few years ago. Some are so new that many medical professionals aren’t even aware of them. “Many veterinarians in the area don’t know what we offer, and certainly most pet owners don’t know,” Hanzlicek said. “We’re trying to get the word out. We ultimately believe it’s what’s best for pets and pet owners.” In Tux’s case, Hanzlicek said, the operation — which involved inserting a small stent above his jugular — was “a culmination of other procedures, just using what we’ve learned with cases and other dogs and cats.” “We were able to completely cure him,” Hanzlicek said, “and we did so by a small incision less than a centimeter over a vein in his neck — and his problem was down in his liver. So I think that’s just a testament to what minimally invasive procedures allow us to do.”
A normal dog again The result, the Whitakers Tux after surgery | Photo provided
continued on page 9
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Pups pose for their glamour shot at Imagine If Photography. | Photo Pam Meyers / provided
Smile!
Pam Meyers poses pets for pictures.
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By Chris Eversole
hen Pam Meyers started photographing rescue pets at A1 Pet Emporium, she was just trying to help make them look like enticing candidates for forever homes. She’s surprised that her volunteering would transform her photography business, Imagine If Photography, into one devoted primarily to pets. Brides and grooms occasionally bend her arm to shoot their weddings, but her passion has become photographing dog and cats (her most challenging Pam Meyers subjects). She has also taken photos of a potbellied pig, a monkey and raccoon, and a handful of pet rats, too. At the Oklahoma City Pet Expo, she has 6
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photographed birds and snakes on display. Her latest mission is to photograph aging pets in hopes of helping their owners with grieving once they die. “There’s nothing more disheartening that having people come to me and say they wished they knew I photographed pets before their dog died,” Meyers said. “What do you say to that? All I can say is, ‘I’m sorry for your loss.’” The business involves her whole family. Her husband, Alan, built a photography set with tethers to hold pets still (more or less) and a booth for hanging her work in public venues. Her older daughter Shandelle is her chief wrangler, helping pose the pets and calm them, while daughter Cassandra assists with the company’s online presence. As for posing: “You have to figure out what interests a dog,” Meyers said. “Some respond to sound. For many, it’s food. Dogs that are deaf and blind are difficult, but most of them still have a sense of smell.” Herding cats, even one, is tough. “All they’re interested in is an escape route,” she said. Photographing cats is tough. “All they’re interested in is an escape route,” Meyers said. | Photo Pam Meyers / provided
Meyers still does photos for rescue groups each month. “It’s imperative that there are good images of rescues to aid in their adoption rates,” she said. She also takes portraits for the public at A1 Pet Emporium, which has grown to three locations. “It takes five to 15 minutes to photograph a pet at the store,” she said. “The pet dictates how long it takes.” Much of her work is in clients’ homes, where she devotes one to three hours to a shoot. “We will spend all the time necessary to create the images that you want,” she said. On location, most people want portraits — sometimes including the owners themselves. Some owners like candid shots of their pets playing or sitting in their favorite spot. Meyers works with A1 Pet Emporium and rescue agencies to create an annual calendar that raises money for the organizations. Imagine If Photography posts all the images it takes at A1 Pet Emporium’s Facebook page, and people vote to choose the pet of the month. “It’s a popularity contest,” she said. “The pig won one month, and the raccoon won another month.”
Training tips
No matter how careful you are in selecting your pet, chances are your puppy will develop a problem or nuisance behavior. Prevention is the first step. Around six months, your puppy will be old enough for an obedience course. Teaching your puppy the basics will make it easier to manage problem behaviors. If you can’t take a class, purchase a dog-training manual and stick with it. If your dog shows signs of aggression, talk with a professional trainer or your veterinary. Depending on the cause, there might be a simple solution. But if your child’s safety becomes an issue, your only option may be a new home for your pet. Whether your dog ends up with a new owner or in a shelter, make sure you explain the reason for giving your dog away so it ends up in the proper environment. For other problem behaviors, there are several good books to help tame your dog. Contrary to popular belief, never hit, kick or swat a dog with a newspaper. This can lead to aggressiveness or increase already aggressive behavior. Most importantly, try to understand and accept your pet’s imperfections and adjust your home accordingly to reduce aggravations. In time, your dog will accept the household routine and become a part of it.
r
dP roa et r
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exposed to a poor environment is a plus. But caution should be used even when buying from a breeder. While most are in the business for their love of the breed, there are exceptions. Some breeders are only interested in profits and have little knowledge or concern for good breeding and proper care of pups. This can lead to dogs with poor temperaments, genetic disorders or disease. Ask plenty of questions, request references and ask to see the puppies in their normal environment. According to the American Kennel Club, some things to watch for when selecting your puppy include: a runny nose, watery eyes, fever or disease in the litter. If any of these conditions are present, look elsewhere. Avoid a puppy that trembles and is shy or one that shows a bad temper. Also, understand that a kennel designated “AKC Reg.” doesn’t mean it has the American Kennel Club’s stamp of approval. It simply means the dogs have been registered. Finally, keep in mind that puppies shouldn’t be removed from their litter before six weeks of age, and preferably eight.
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Dog to fit your family continued from page 3
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A feral cat is essentially a wild housecat and is not socialized around people. | Photo Bigstock
Feline fix A city ordinance helps shelters get a handle on the cat population. By Christine Eddington
O
klahoma City is well on its way to reducing its feral and community cat population, thanks to an innovative joint program implemented by the City’s Animal Welfare division, Central Oklahoma Humane Society and The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Together, they have been spaying or neutering, vaccinating and releasing feral cats. “Really, our efforts to become a no-kill shelter city began in 2007. We started looking around the country, specifically at the programs other cities had created to decrease the numbers of cats in shelters,” said Jonathan Gary, OKC Animal Welfare superintendent. Other communities had begun using similar techniques and having success. In 2012, an ordinance allowing the City of Oklahoma City to do the same was adopted. “Eighty percent of owned cats are neutered, but less than 5 percent of the total cat population is,” Gary said. “To
have zero population growth, 75 percent of the population has to be neutered. To reduce the population, it has to be more than that.” A feral cat is essentially a wild housecat and is not socialized around people. Its parents might have been house pets once. A community cat is a socialized cat that does not have a home but is looked after, fed and watered by people in a neighborhood. Because neither feral nor community cats are likely to have regular vet visits, they are also unlikely to be spayed or neutered, which leads to the birth of kittens, especially in the springtime.
Too many cats euthanized
“Cats are a bigger problem than dogs for Oklahoma City shelters because they differ in how they come to us,” Gary said. “We receive 60 to 70 percent of our cats in May through July, which makes managing them challenging. Of the cats which come to the shelters, 60 percent of them are adoptable or treatable through programs like Community Cats.” That means 40 percent of the cats brought to shelters are euthanized, Gary said. It’s many more than Gary would like to see, but local animal shelters are making progress. In 2007, only 25 percent of the cats brought to Oklahoma City shelters were adopted. The overall cat
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population is decreasing, too, which is a very good thing. “In 2016, we had 1,800 fewer cats brought into shelters than we did in 2012,” Gary said. In order to keep track of which cats have been fixed, small notches are cut into the ears of the sterilized felines while they’re under anesthesia. The original ordinance allowing the spaying and neutering program was modified in 2017 to make it even easier for the groups to continue to reduce the population. “Under the original ordinance, the person bringing the cat to the shelter decided whether the cat could be released or not. Now, we do what’s best for the cat,” Gary said. Those that are healthy and have good temperaments are offered for adoption. Cats who arrive injured or gravely ill are euthanized. The community and feral cats fall somewhere in between. Gary said the program has been a great success. In 2016, it neutered or spayed 7,000 cats. The groups involved are working to obtain grants that would allow them to treat even more cats. The Community Cat program is often the last option before euthanization for non-socialized felines who have been sterilized, vaccinated and released. “Less than 2 percent of the cats brought to our shelters are reclaimed by their owners,” Gary said. “That’s partly because the way we keep cats is different than the way we keep dogs. Cats are often indooroutdoor, and we don’t have leash laws for them. Cat owners are accustomed to going several days without seeing their pets.” That means releasing cats back to the areas they were found increases the odds of reuniting cats and cat owners.
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Life saver
continued from page 5
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• Reclaim Your Lunch Hour • Weekend availablity • Holiday overnights Team Tux discusses his treatment: left to right Dr. Ryan Baumwart, cardiologist; H.B. Whitaker, Tux’s owner; Dr. Rebecca Tims, third-year resident (holding Tux); and Dr. Andrew Hanzlicek, internal medicine specialist. | Photo Gary Lawson, Oklahoma State University Marketing / provided
said, was “a miracle.” “Within probably an hour after the surgery, he was running around. I mean, it was amazing,” H.B. Whitaker said. “Within a week, it was like it hadn’t even happened. He looked like a normal dog again.” For OSU, Hanzlicek said, procedures like this are the beginning of a new era of treatment options. The goal is to create a state-ofthe-art operating room where vets can perform these procedures and vets-in-training can learn from them. The Whitakers will forever be impressed with the veterinarians’ innovation and tenacity. “They did not give up on that dog,” H.B. Whitaker said. “They went above and beyond what anybody would do to try to save his life. There’s nothing you can do to repay them for that.” Saving one dog’s life might have led to further advancements in the future for OSU. The university has already treated a second similar case. And past that? Tux’s owners are high school teachers, after all, and perhaps the best recruiters for future vets the school could ask for. “We’re big OSU fans now, I promise you,” H.B. Whitaker said. “We see kids all the time The general public is that want to grow up to be welcome to call OSU’s veterinarians, and I know vet school for pets’ health where we’re going to be problems, with or without sending them from now on.” a referral. The number is
405-605-3355 | www.careypet.com
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pet gazette | WINTER 2018
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Three Dog Bakery Edmond owners Kristen and Ken Boyett | Photo Jim Massara
Doggy delicacies Three Dog Bakery caters to man’s best friend.
T
he owners of Three Dog Bakery in Edmond opened their store mainly because of — not surprisingly — a dog they met years ago. The dog in question was Gracie, a Great Dane who was one of three namesakes for Three Dog’s first location in Kansas City. Ken and Kristen Boyett lived there at the time and were taken by this “really sweet dog,” said Kristen Boyett. Gracie wasn’t a good eater, thanks to hearing and vision problems and some digestive issues. Three Dog’s solution was to create recipes that would nurse Gracie back to health. The owners of Three Dog eventually parlayed the idea into a chain of artisanal treat shops catering to dog with specific dietary needs. The image of Gracie stuck with the Boyetts when they opened their own Three Dog franchise — the only one in Oklahoma — last June. The store is located at 1380 W. Covell Road in Edmond. “Just the concept was completely different than anything that’s out there, especially in Edmond today,” Ken Boyett said. “We wanted to be involved in a business that would be healthy for dogs, and also, we really wanted to connect with 10
WINTER 2018 | pet gazette
By Jeremy Martin
the community and do something other than just open a retail store and sell product.” Three Dog lets pet owners give their canine companions a safe alternative to the “people food” they’re constantly begging for. The store’s menu offers both prepackaged treats and baked goods created in-house, made from all natural ingredients and sweetened with honey or
applesauce. The bakery even offers sugarand caffeine-free versions of gourmet coffee-flavored treats with names like Pup-kin Spice and Pepper-Mutt Mocha. Three Dog’s top selling treat is the Drooly Dream Bar, a peanut-butter-based carrot cake snack with a little carob drizzle on top. Many customers are the owners of rescue dogs. Others, the owners of senior dogs, want to give their pets special treats because they know they’re near the end of the line. They all just want to pamper their pets. Like human beings, Ken Boyett said, dogs really do seem to have opinions and preferences. “Dogs are funny,” he said. “You can really see that some of them gravitate to a carob-type treat — carob is the replacement for chocolate for dogs — or more of a peanut butter-type treat or more of a meaty-type treat.” Three Dog also sells dog food, pet accessories and gifts for dog lovers. In addition, the store is developing a growing feline clientele. According to Kristen Boyett, cats favor crunchier stuff — and, of course, catnip. In November, Three Dog Bakery Edmond co-sponsored the Dog-N-Jog fundraiser to benefit Edmond-area dog parks. Another one will follow in April. Monthly pet care clinics offering in-store preventative veterinary care are scheduled through March. The bakery maintains accounts on social media sites Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, featuring the Boyetts’ own dogs as well as customers’ pets. More “hands-on” activities like cooking classes for shoppers and their best friends also are being considered. “We want to give people an experience in the bakery,” Ken Boyett said. “Come in and make some treats with us.”
Baker Mackenzie Adkins frosts a cake for canines at Three Dog Bakery. | Photo Jim Massara
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