Dog Nutrition and raw and home-cooked dog food

After the recent episode of pet food poisoning, consumers were asked how they felt about feeding prepackaged food. Almost 70% of consumers said they were concerned with packaged foods. Half of these consumers said they were extremely concerned, and 20% are considering feeding home-cooked meals.

The latest issue of the Whole Dog Journal will help consumers interested in switching to raw or home-cooked diets. For recipes and success stories on using home-cooked and raw diets for pets, visit the Journal's website: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com. In every case these folks report their dog's health improved when switched from packaged to raw or home-cooked meals. The article mentions places to purchase bones, meat, and other ingredients, and describes supplements used to ensure complete nutrition.

If feeding raw or home-cooked meals, feed them warm rather than cold. Cold, raw food is difficult to digest and increases the likelihood that dogs will develop diarrhea.

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Pet Health Caring for Pets, the Top 10 Reasons Cats Visit The Veterinary Clinic

Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) says the top 10 claims filed by cat owners for treatment at veterinary clinics are:
· Urinary tract infections
· Stomach upsets
· Kidney failure
· Skin allergies
· Diabetes
· Respiratory infections
· Ear infections
· Tooth extractions
· Diarrhea and intestinal problems (Colitis)
· Hyperthyroidism.

The most common problem, urinary tract infections, are potentially serious in cats because stones can block the urethra and prevent urination. As urine builds in the bladder, the body reabsorbs elements that should have been excreted, such as potassium. When potassium level rise, the heart rhythm slows. Thus, cats with bladder problems can die of cardiac dysrhythmia.

Feeding canned or home-cooked foods and providing filtered water increases the amount of fluid in a cat’s body and helps keep urine moving. Cats that aren’t urinating at least twice a day should visit the veterinary clinic immediately. Cats that are urinating more often than normal—especially if they urinate in unusual places—should also visit the veterinary clinic.

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Emergency Veterinary Care, more trips are made at the full moon

Many speculate that there is an increase in human emergency rooms admissions during different phases of the moon, and now there is research to show that this speculation is correct for dog and cat admissions.

Work by Regan Wells, Juliet Gionfriddo and Timothy Hackett, and Steven Radecki sited studies that have shown both an increase and no change in human emergency admissions for:
Psychologic crises,
Suicide,
Gout,
Childbirth,
Dog bites,
Seizures,
Heart attacks,
Fights, and
Trauma.

When Dr. Wells et all looked at data for about 12,000 dogs and cats over a ten-year period, they found more emergency room visits occurred on the dark of the new moon and during the moons brighter and brightest phases than when the moon was at first quarter or waxing. They calculated the increased risk of emergency admission during the fuller moon days for dogs was 28% and 23% for cats. The type of emergency did not appear to have a pattern.

The complete study, “Canine and feline emergency room visits and the lunar cycle: 11,940 cases (1992-2002) is in the July 15, 2007, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Botulism Contaminates Pet Food

RECALLED PET FOOD

• Natural Balance Eatables for Dogs Irish Stew With Beef, Potatoes & Carrots


• Natural Balance Eatables for Dogs Chinese Take Out


• Natural Balance Eatables for Dogs HOBO Chili with Chicken & Pasta


• Natural Balance Eatables for Dogs Southern Style Dumplings With Chicken & Vegetables

Castleberry (Bumble Bee Foods) has recalled more than 80 types of stew, chili, and hash because botulism toxin is found in the food. The recall includes canned pet food sold under the Natural Balance label. Dogs that eat food contaminated with botulism toxin can become paralyzed and die.

Botulism has three ways of infecting
This outbreak of botulism is caused by the toxin in food, but botulism can infect pets and people using three routes:
• Foodborne (toxin),
• wound contamination (bacteria), and
• infant botulism (spores growing in the intestines).

Foodborne botulism is probably the most common problem for dogs; and wound contamination, the most common problem for horses and livestock. Infant botulism is the most common cause of human infection. Cats, the lucky devils, aren’t susceptible to botulism infections under natural conditions. Fiendish experimenters have been able to infect them, but cats don’t get botulism outside the laboratory.

Signs and Symptoms of Botulism
In dogs, foodborne botulism toxin affects the nerves to all parts of the body, but it is most obvious when the nerves that stimulate the muscles are damaged and the dog becomes limp and paralyzed. Symptoms can begin as quickly as 6 hours after eating, but in some dogs no symptoms will be obvious for a week or 10 days after ingesting the toxin. Once symptoms begin, they reach maximum severity quickly—within 12-24 hours.

At the same time as the dog is becoming paralyzed and unable to move, botulism toxin is causing less obvious, but equally serious damage elsewhere:
• eyes lose the ability to focus so that vision is impaired,
• throat muscles cannot contract the dog cannot swallow,
• the stomach doesn’t work so that food cannot be digested
• the intestines don’t work and the dog cannot defecate, and
• the muscles that expand the chest don’t work so the animal cannot breathe.

Death is usually due to respiratory paralysis.

Damage to the nerves and muscles occurs because the toxin blocks acetylcholine, the signaling molecule that travels from nerves and tells muscles to contract. Dogs with this form of nerve paralysis become weak and lose all their muscle tone. Within a week, their muscles will atrophy. The skin begins to break down and bed sores develop because the dog cannot move and will lie in the same position until helped.

Diagnosis of Botulism
Several diseases cause nerve paralysis symptoms similar to those caused by botulism, such as myasthenia gravis, coonhound paralysis, tick bite paralysis. To determine what’s making a dog ill, veterinarians look for signs of botulism in the blood and the feces.

Treatment of Botulism
If the dog is diagnosed before the toxin has damaged the nerves, an antitoxin is helpful. It is Type C or polyvalent containing type C antitoxin. Antitoxin doesn’t help after paralysis occurs. Paralyzed dogs require intensive care and can be put on respirators and ventilated until the nerves and muscles recover. Intensive care and artificial ventilation may be necessary for 1-3 weeks. During recovery, the following complications can occur:
• dry eye (keratoconjunctivitis sicca),
• pneumonia,
• bed sores (decubital sores), and
• urine scalding of skin.

Fortunately, dogs can completely recover, but it may take many weeks for their muscles to develop the tone they lost while paralyzed.

Powerful Poison
The extreme danger of foodborne botulism is that it takes the tiniest amount of toxin (one microgram) to poison a pet and block acetylcholine release throughout the body. This is unlike most cases of toxic poisoning where the severity of the illness is related to how much of the toxin the pet is exposed to. For example, dogs that eat a tiny amount of chocolate never become ill, but a large amount can cause heart rhythm disturbance and heart failure.

The fact that botulism toxin is so powerful is also why we fear it may be used by terrorists to poison humans.

Heat Destroys Botulism Toxin
Botulism is a little unusual in that it is not the bacteria themselves that make pets sick when they eat poisoned pet food, but the toxin the bacteria make. Because this toxin is destroyed by heat, boiling food for 10 minutes destroys the toxin, as well as the bacteria. Boiled food cannot make pets ill.

Some bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) produce toxins that are not destroyed by boiling, so it is unwise to ever become complacent about what we’re feeding our dogs.

Bulging Cans
One sign that botulism bacteria might be in canned food is that the can will bulge if the bacteria have had time to grow. Botulism bacteria thrive in sealed cans because they grow best where there is no oxygen (anaerobic bacteria). As they grow, they produce a gas that causes the can to swell. If you have any cans of food with bulging lids, return them to the store.

Don’t assume that a can of Natural Balance pet food that isn’t bulging is safe. To protect your pet, return your cans of Natural Balance food to the store.

To find out more about Natural Balance dog food recall, visit Castleberry's Web site: http://www.castleberrys.com. or
http://www.castleberrys.com/news_productrecall.asp.

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Tail wagging in dogs, the importance of direction

We’ve been covering disc disease for a couple weeks, and it’s time for a switch to something fun. Did you know dogs wag their tails to the right OR to the left? I didn’t. I thought dogs wagged their tails in the middle, going both the right and left. A three-page article titled “Asymmetric tail-wagging responses by dogs to different emotive stimuli” in Current Biology, March 2007 by A. Quaranta, M. Siniscalchi, G. Vallortigara maintains that dogs wag their tails more to the right in positive circumstances and to the left when they would prefer to withdraw. The amplitude of the tail wagging shows how excited the dog is.

For example dogs wagged to the right when they saw
· their owner,
· an unknown human, or
· a cat.

The amplitude of the wagging was
· high with the owner,
· medium with the unknown person, and
· low with the cat.

Dogs wagged to the left When they saw
· a dog didn’t know.

Authors suggest that muscles that pull the tail to the right are activated when the left side of the brain is active, and muscles that pull the tail to the left are active when the right side of the brain is active.

We’ll have to take notice. Let me know what you see.

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Caring for Pets, Disc Disease and NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)

To treat dogs with disc disease, many medications and supplements are used:

• Omega 3 fatty acids,
• homeopathic medications,
• flower remedies,
• Chinese herbs,
• Western herbs,
• joint supplements and
• nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Of these, NSAIDs have the greatest potential to cause harm.

Examples of NSAIDs prescribed for dogs with disc disease, arthritis, and other bone and joint problems are EtoGesic, Rimadyl, Metacam, and Piroxicam. These NSAIDs are best used for short periods to control pain, but not for long periods because their potential for causing side effects is too great.

For information on how serious side effects from NSAIDs are, check out Advice to Dog Owners Whose Pets Take NSAIDs on the FDA’s website that warns pet owners not to be complacent with NSAID use: http://www.fda.gov/cvm/FdaVetFirst2006.htm#6059.

Another FDA site discussing NSAIDs is Pain Drugs for Dogs: Be an Informed Pet Owner. You’ll learn NSAIDs can cause bleeding ulcers, kidney disease, and liver disease. http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2006/506_nsaid.html.

As though the potential for causing side effects were not enough to discourage NSAID use in dogs with disc disease, NSAIDs also damage joint cells and delay their return to normal. This is the opposite of the effect that joint supplements have.

When a dog is in extreme pain from disc disease, we’re willing to accept the potential for side effects and the joint damage, but as soon as possible, we stop NSAIDs and switch dogs to other medications. Continued use of NSAIDs indicates a complacency that can lead to long-term problems. Dogs with disc disease do not improve in an atmosphere of complacency.

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Caring for Pets, Disc Disease and Joint Supplements with Glucosamine and Chondroitin

In our last 6 blogs, we’ve discussed disc disease, covering
· Proprioceptive deficits,
· Chicken soup to stimulate appetite in painful dogs,
· Medication overview,
· Omega 3 Fish oil supplements,
· Homeopathy, and
· Western and Chinese Herbs.

Now, let’s cover another essential supplement for dogs with disc disease: joint supplements.

Joints in the spine
At first impression it might seem that the spine and discs are different than other joints in the body, but they are essentially the same:
· bones with cartilage over the ends,
· wrapped in a synovial membrane, and
· bathed in joint fluid.

Nourishing vertebral joints, maintaining moisture within the cartilage and disc, and maintaining healthy joint fluid is the same process in the spine as it is in the knees, hips, and all joints. Because it is the same process, joint supplements that help hips and knees also help the spine.

Joint inflammation, pain, and long-term damage
One of the roles of joint supplements is to reduce inflammation that occurs when the disc puts pressure on spinal nerves. Inflammation occurs when the pressure on the spinal nerves occurs suddenly when a disc ruptures and it occurs when disc pressure on the spine is slow and chronic, as it has been with Fleur.

Inflammation occurs because pain and cell damage caused by the disc pressure stimulates release of prostaglandins, interleukins, and alarm signaling molecules. These molecules summon white blood cells (WBC) to the damaged area. Although WBCs are helpful when there is an infection to fight, they are harmful when they invade joints. Within joints, WBCs cause harm because they release enzymes that thin the synovial fluid, and pit and destroy cartilage. The sooner the inflammation stops, the more quickly dogs with disc disease recover their proprioceptive knowledge of where their limbs are so they can walk normally. Because inflammation also causes pain, the sooner it is controlled, the sooner dogs with disc disease become pain free.

Glucosamine and Chondroitin
Two ingredients of joint supplements that benefit dogs like Fleur with inflamed discs are glucosamine and chondroitin. Glucosamine comes from the chitin or exoskeleton of shellfish such as crab, lobster, and shrimp. It’s usually safe to give glucosamine to pets with allergies to fish because the allergy-inducing proteins in the shell of the fish aren’t the same as those in the meat of the fish. Chondroitin comes from cartilage in cattle and shark trachea and lung tissue.

Glucosamine benefits to dogs with disc disease:

• stimulates cartilage to produce the mortar (glycosaminoglycans) that holds moisture around the bricks (cartilage cells),
• stimulates cartilage to produce collagen, which is similar to reinforcing fibers, within cartilage,
• and contributes to hyaluronic acid in synovial fluid.

Chondroitin benefits to dogs with disc disease:

• inhibits the white blood cell enzymes that damage cartilage,
• facilitates the absorption of nutrients into cartilage, and
• stimulates, or up-regulates, cartilage synthesis.

Chondroitin is a large molecule
Because chondroitin is a large molecule, it must be treated to make it small enough to be absorbed into the body. The best joint products contain chondroitin in the 17,000 dalton range. It’s more expensive to make chondroitin this size, but there’s no point in buying a cheaper joint product if the material cannot be absorbed. To ensure Fleur got the benefit of chondroitin, my recommendation was that she first use an injectable product, then switch to an oral product.

Injectable joint medication
When disc injury first occurs, use an injectable joint medication such as Adequan, which is 3,000-15,000 Daltons. Adequan is given every 3-5 days for 4 weeks, then it is given monthly when necessary. It does not sting and can be given into the muscle with a tiny needle without causing pain. In addition, many veterinarians give Adequan SQ, which is into the flesh just below the skin. Adequan also benefits pets with chronic joint problems, so that a dog like Fleur who has a long back and short legs and is prone to disc disease would benefit from a series of injections 2-3 times a year for life. Dogs with hip dysplasia and other chronic joint conditions would also benefit from regular injectable joint supplements.

No, I don’t sell Adequan or have stock in the Luitpold Animal Health company. I believe in their products because they work.

In a future blog, we’ll look at why joint supplements are safer and more effective for dogs with disc disease than are NSAIDs.

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Herbs For Dogs With Disc Disease

We’re covering medications used for pets with disc disease because they

• increase disc moisture and suppleness,
• decrease inflammation,
• stop pain and ease muscle spasm, and
• promote synovial and cartilage health within vertebral joints.

We have looked at Omega 3 fatty acids and homeopathic medications, and now, let’s consider herbs that help dogs with disc disease.

Herbs, unlike fatty acids and some homeopathic medications, are not used singly but in combination with several other herbs. For example, Western herbs commonly used for disc disease include combinations of eupatorium, turmeric, meadowsweet, willow bark, nettles, cayenne, skullcap, alfalfa, and yucca.

Chinese herbs for disc disease are also combination remedies. Relax Channels and Invigorate Blood (Shu Jing Huo Xue Tang) is one example of a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) combination herbal medication for disc disease. Relax Channels and Invigorate Blood is categorized as a “blood mover.” In TCM, disc ruptures are caused when blood or energy is stuck in the spine. The Relax Channels formula creates movement to resolve disc pain and inflammation. As pain and inflammation resolve, the disc is stimulated to heal and return to normal and is less likely to rupture again. This is one of the strengths of Chinese formulas—addressing the root of the problem as well as the symptoms.

Some herbal combinations require a prescription and others are available as over-the-counter medications. Because most herbs are powerful and forceful, rather like most pharmaceuticals, they can have side effects and should not be used without a veterinarian’s advice.

In our next blog, we’ll discuss using joint supplements that help treat dogs with disc disease.

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Caring for Pets, Homeopathic Medications for Disc Disease

Disc disease is one of the most common serious, painful back problems of dogs. In the last few blogs we discussed how to encourage dogs that are in pain to eat and how to medicate them. We considered the importance of Omega 3 fatty acids in returning the discs to health and in benefiting other areas of the body, including the heart, kidney, liver, and brain. Now, let’s discuss homeopathic medications for disc disease.

There are two schools of thought in veterinary homeopathy: classical and clinical. Those practicing classical homeopathy prescribe remedies with only a single ingredient and will choose the ingredient as much for a dog’s personality as for the nature of the illness. Thus, classical homeopathy is a bit like psychotherapy because it delves into the pet’s likes and dislikes, behaviors, and preferences. One of the classical homeopathic remedies for disc disease is Calc Carb.

In contrast, veterinarians practicing clinical homeopathy do not delve as much into a dog’s personality, but prescribe homeopathic medications that contain several ingredients and cover a range of personality types. Clinical homeopathic remedies for disc disease can include Bryonia, Symphytum, Eupatorium, Chelidonium, Phytolacca, Hypericum, etc.

Our goal when prescribing medication for a dog with disc disease is to

• relieve pain, inflammation and muscle spasm and
• promote growth of healthy vertebral joints with plenty of moisture and cushioning power.

Homeopathic medications help accomplish these goals so that pets with disc disease are more comfortable and more likely to develop a healthy spine.

In our next blog, we’ll discuss using Western herbs and Chinese herbs to help dogs with disc disease.

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Disc Disease and Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Fleur, our friend’s dog with disc disease, went home yesterday; and like most dogs with disc disease will have a long period of convalescence. While taking care of Fleur, we’ve covered different aspects of disc disease, and now we’ll look at the medications prescribed to help Fleur recover. Today, the focus is on Omega 3 fatty acids.

Disc disease occurs because the discs lose moisture and suppleness. When the discs reach a critical level of dehydration and brittleness, they collapse and put pressure on the spine. Sudden, severe pressure causes paralysis so that dogs cannot walk, but a steadily progressing pressure causes weakness and uncoordinated walking. Both sudden and gradual disc disease cause pain and muscle spasm so that dogs with disc disease walk with their backs humped.

Medications prescribed for dogs with disc disease help:
1. increase disc moisture and suppleness,
2. decrease inflammation,
3. stop pain and ease muscle spasm, and
4. promote synovial and cartilage health within vertebral joints.

Omega 3 fatty acids are prescribed for disc disease because they increase disc moisture and suppleness and decrease inflammation. Thus, Omega 3 fatty acids are essential to recovery from disc disease.

The best sources of Omega 3 fatty acids are cold-water fish oils and ground flax seed. I prescribe fish oils for dogs with severe illness because the oils have EPA and DHA in forms that are easily incorporated into the cells. (For pets with disc disease that don’t enjoy fish, I prescribe fresh ground flax seed products, such as Missing Link.)

Not all Omega 3 fish oils are created equal, and it is a waste of money for Fleur's family to purchase products that have delightful advertising but no substance. Actually, it’s worse than a waste of money because many inferior Omega 3 products contain products of oxidation that harm cells.

There is keen competition among companies to win veterinary opinion, and to objectively find which oil was the best, I ran independent laboratory tests on fish oil products—comparing oils from companies who swore they had the best in the industry. Results of the tests confirmed that oils from Nordic Naturals were the most pure. Fish oil purity is essential because dogs with disc disease should take Omega 3 products throughout their lives. The materials that make fish oils impure—heavy metals and PCBs—accumulate in the tissue and cause cancer and other illnesses. Thus, it’s essential to prescribe pure fish oils, such as Nordic Naturals, when recommending that a pet stay on the supplement for life.

Fish oil supplements work gradually, taking several weeks to be incorporated into cells and make lasting changes. It takes patience for Fleur and her family to wait to experience the benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids, but what they will see is not just that Fleur’s back is more comfortable and resilient. They can also expect to find:
· Changes in brain cells with increased capacity to learn,
· Better mood,
· Stronger heart, kidney, retina, and liver cells, and
· Decreased tendency to develop allergies to food, fleas, or pollens.

In future blogs, we’ll look at other medications used for disc disease: Homeopathic medications, Flower remedies, Chinese herbs, Western herbs, Joint supplements, NSAIDs, and Enzymes.

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Disc Disease and the Medications that Help Dogs Heal-Overview

We’re taking care of Fleur, a little dog with disc disease. In previous blogs, we described Fleur’s proprioceptive deficit, which means Fleur doesn’t know where her legs are so that she walks in unsteadily. We discussed the importance of appetite stimulation and feeding chicken soup to keep Fleur eating while she’s stressed and in pain. During stress, it’s easy for sensitive dogs to develop stomach ulcers, especially if they’re taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory pain medication (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, Rimadyl, EtoGesic, or Previcox.

Rest, good food, and the right medication will help reduce inflammation. By reducing inflammation, we take pressure off the spinal cord and allow Fleur’s nerve function to return to normal. What medications help reduce inflammation and decrease pain in dogs with disc disease? The following is a list of medications, each with a different purpose. Some dogs need one or two, and other dogs need all of them.

Medications that help dogs with disc disease:
· Omega 3 fatty acids,
· Homeopathic medications,
· Flower remedies,
· Chinese herbs,
· Western herbs,
· Joint supplements,
· NSAIDs,
· muscle relaxants, and
· Enzymes.

In future blogs, we’ll look at each of these medications and why they help dogs with disc disease. We’ll also cover acupuncture and photon therapy—two techniques that are as helpful as any of the medications we prescribe.

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Disc Disease and Stimulating the Appetite in Dogs with Back Pain

We’re taking care of Fleur, a little dog with disc disease. In a previous blog, we covered one of the signs of disc disease, proprioceptive deficit. Proprioceptive deficit occurs when a dog loses the ability to know where its body and legs are in space (proprioception). These dogs wobble, cross one leg over another when they walk, or become unable to move because disc pressure on the spinal cord prevents information from traveling between the brain and the muscles and joints.

Not only do dogs with disc disease walk with difficulty, they have back pain when they walk—and sometimes when they’re just sitting still. It's clear that Fleur has back pain because she splints her back by contracting the spinal muscles. Contracted spinal muscles spasm, and Fleur probably has both muscle and nerve pain. She walks with a hump in her back and short, wobbly steps.

Fleur is like most dogs with pain--she has a poor appetite and picks at her food. She is at risk of developing ulcers because there is no food in her stomach and the stress hormone, cortisol, naturally released when dogs are ill, blocks the production of protective mucus in the stomach. With no food in the stomach, and no protective mucous coating, dogs with disc disease are prone to developing stomach ulcers--and then they really do not feel like eating.

The key to keeping Fleur from developing stomach ulcers, and to keep her energy level up so that she walks enough to prevent muscle atrophy, is feeding her warm, homemade chicken soup. Chicken soup is an ideal food because it’s easily digested, easy to prepare in a crock pot, and can be frozen. If those weren’t enough reasons, chicken meat promotes healing from a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) perspective. TCM describes disc disease as “weak Kidney Yang,” and prescribes the strengthening of Kidney Yang with chicken, beef kidney, lamb, lamb kidney, and venison.

In addition to feeding warm chicken soup, other tricks to stimulate appetite include:
• Letting the soup simmer for 10-15 minutes before mealtime to stimulate the sense of smell,
• Feeding small amounts frequently, and picking up the bowl after 10 minutes,
• Creating competition and having two dogs eat at the same time from their separate bowls,
• Hand feeding bits of warmed chicken as an appetizer, and
• Sprinkling dried liver on the food.

If you’re busy, your first instinct might be that making chicken soup is going to take too much time so you’ll use store-bought soup and let it go at that. Unfortunately, disc disease doesn’t heal well unless treated aggressively--dogs that don’t eat take much longer to heal. During the healing period, dogs with disc disease are prone to developing additional back problems, especially complete disc rupture and paralysis. To help your pet heal quickly, and to save time and medical bills in the long run, make the homemade chicken soup.

In future blogs, we’ll cover more on disc disease, including pain control, treatment with conventional drugs, and with herbs, acupuncture, enzymes, and photon therapy.

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Disc Disease in Dogs, Proprioceptive Deficits

We’re taking care of Fleur, a little dog with disc disease.


Several months ago, a disc in Fleur’s spine deteriorated and began putting pressure on the nerves to her back legs. The last couple weeks, deterioration progressed and now Fleur has full-blown disc disease. Her back is humped, she is in pain, and is unable to stand and walk normally.

Crossing over and proprioception
As with many dogs with disc disease, Fleur’s legs move in an uncoordinated manner and one rear leg crosses over the other as she walks. Crossing over occurs because Fleur’s brain doesn’t know where her feet are and can’t keep them out of each other’s way. We call the inability to know where a limb is placed, a proprioceptive deficit.

To confirm a dog has proprioceptive deficits, we support the dog in a standing position, and turn the foot over so that the furry top of the foot is placed on the ground. A dog that knows where its foot is will immediately flip the foot so the pad is on the ground. A dog with proprioceptive deficits leaves its feet with the furry part down. Fleur leaves the furry top of her foot down and makes no attempt to flip it into a normal standing position.

Having a proprioceptive deficit is a serious problem, but, as with most dogs with active disc disease, Fleur has other, perhaps more serious, problems:
• back pain and
• a poor appetite.

In future blogs, we’ll cover more information on disc disease, including what to feed a dog to both stimulate the appetite and promote healing according to Chinese Traditional Medicine (TCM). We’ll also cover disc disease diagnosis, treatment with conventional drugs and treatments using Chinese herbs, acupuncture, enzymes, and photon therapy.

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