By Michael W. Fox By Michael W. Fox June 27
Dear Dr. Fox:
I have a 13-year-old female Chorkiepoo (a Chihuahua-Yorkie-poodle mix). She is spayed and has a heart murmur. She takes furosemide, theophylline and enalapril daily. She mostly eats baked chicken thighs, and sometimes canned Purina Beyond dog food.
My dog likes to eat dirt. I have to be careful with commercial potting soil, because she will eat that, too. I asked the veterinary technician if she had ever heard of this, but she hadnt and had no idea why my dog would do this. I heard that people with a condition called pica eat things such as laundry starch because of a vitamin deficiency.
Any ideas as to what causes this? Is there anything I should do about it?
P.R., Ste. Genevieve, Mo.
DF: I am surprised that the vet tech with whom you spoke seemed clueless about this common condition in animals dogs in particular.
Geophagia (eating dirt) is a normal behavior. Animals, including humans, will develop this form of pica when they are anemic or have a digestive problem or other internal issue that might be relieved by consuming dirt. Some animals will carefully select the kind of dirt, possibly to get an infusion of soil bacteria that can help with digestion, or of various minerals that might correct a deficiency or imbalance.
I doubt your dog is being properly nourished, so I would give her digestive enzymes, which a teaspoon of shredded unsweetened pineapple in her food would provide. Also, try a couple of good-quality probiotic capsules; a tablespoon of live, plain organic yogurt or kefir; and a crushed pediatric multivitamin and multimineral tablet. I would also urge you put your dog on my home-prepared diet, as posted on my website, drfoxvet.net, reducing the grain amount by 50 percent.
Most important with the kind of dog you have is good dental care. Chronic oral disease can lead to a variety of health complications if its not addressed.
Dear Dr. Fox:
I have visited your website, and with your academic background, you are surely qualified to speak about environmental and conservation issues. But is this right for your Animal Doctor column, which I thought was an advice column for pet owners?
R.E., Silver Spring
DF: From my perspective, how we treat the natural environment ultimately affects the health and well-being of companion animals, as well as our species.
Considering environmental issues and conservation of healthy ecosystems and their restoration and protection long ignored by organized medicine are now essential aspects of the One Health movement, which is now being embraced by health professionals and long advocated by the veterinary profession.
Dear Dr. Fox:
Three years ago, I adopted Sadie from an animal rescue organization. They told me she had just turned 1, but based on her weight gain, I would guess she was closer to 6 months when I adopted her.
She weighs about 30 pounds now. I specifically looked for a smaller dog because my previous dog weighed almost 60 pounds, and I couldnt lift him in his last days with me.
I found out after I agreed to adopt her in early October that Sadie had spent the summer at a no-kill shelter. After I brought her home, she was shy and afraid of most things in the first few days.
As soon as she realized she was staying with me forever, Sadie found her voice. Now she barks whenever my neighbors dogs are outside. More troubling is her behavior when she gets outside and her doggy pals or my neighbor are outside, too. Sadie gets in a zone and runs circles around my yard. She has worn out a path along about 20 feet of the fence line, another 10 feet along my bromeliad patch, and about 10 feet in front of my carambola tree.
When I try to call her to stop running, she ignores me and continues to run. I tried to prevent her from this obsessive behavior by putting down lava rocks and some pavers along the fence, but she continues to run in circles.
I think she gets enough exercise. We walk every morning for about 1.5 miles, and I play ball with her at least once a day. How can I break her of this obsessive habit of running in circles?
J.S., Lake Worth, Fla.
DF: This kind of obsessive-compulsive behavior can result from a dog being confined and frustrated or anxious for an extended period. It has elements of an addictive behavior, because running produces feel-good neurochemicals such as brain cannabinoids.
What your dog may want and enjoy is some regular, daily off-leash playtime in a safe area with other dogs. Check for doggy play groups in your area or ask about a friendly neighbors dog coming over.
Possible pharmacological treatment with fluoexetine might help, or you can try St. Johns wort, which a veterinarian familiar with psychoactive herbs might prefer to prescribe. A calming herbal supplement called @Ease elevates brain serotonin and is available from petzlife.com.
Keep me posted on your dogs progress.
Dear Dr. Fox:
I have just returned from the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the southwest corner of Uganda, where many of the worlds remaining mountain gorillas live.
Having heard that germs can jump from humans to gorillas, often with devastating consequences, our small group all brought surgical masks to wear not because we didnt think the guides would supply masks, but more for our personal hygiene, in case theirs were being reused.
We were surprised to find that not only were we the only people in the group wearing masks, but the guides, guards and other tourists had no idea of the risk. We were allowed to get within touching distance of the animals.
Have I been misinformed? Is there no threat from germs to these incredible creatures?
F.C., Golden Valley, Minn.
DF: I greatly appreciate your vigilance and sensibilities. This is a problem wherever tourists come into close contact with wildlife that could be infected by potentially lethal strains of illness influenza virus, in particular be they the penguins of Antarctica or the gorillas of East Africa.
The genetic relatedness of mountain gorillas and humans has led to concerns about interspecies transmission of infectious agents. Human-to-gorilla transmission may explain human metapneumovirus in two wild mountain gorillas that died during a respiratory disease outbreak in Rwanda in 2009. Surveillance is needed to ensure survival of these critically endangered animals, of whom fewer than 900 exist in the wild.
It is enlightened self-interest for the tourism industry to wake up to this serious issue and take immediate steps to provide footwear coverings, face masks and gloves for their wildlife-visiting clients. Local guides may think that the gorillas and other wildlife are not at risk because they often enter and raid villages for food, and make indirect contact with indigenous peoples hunting and tending their livestock in their dwindling habitats. All such tourism companies should dedicate a significant percentage of their profits to conservation and support of organizations such as Conservation Through Public Health, founded by veterinarian Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka (ctph.org) and gorillaconservationcoffee.org. All who are concerned with gorilla protection and conservation can donate to them with the endorsed assurance of the International Primate Protection League.
An essential aspect of wildlife conservation is to limit contact between wild species and people, indigenous and tourist, and domestic animals dogs, cats, livestock and poultry to prevent the transmission of a number of communicable diseases.
The ultimate protection of gorillas and other endangered species and their habitats calls for a united environmental nations armed paramilitary police force to prevent poaching and all forms of human encroachment, coupled with more effective family planning, since our species has become an infestation on planet Earth. (See Population Connection, popconnect.org, for information.)
Michael W. Fox, author of a newsletter and books on animal care, welfare and rights, is a veterinarian with doctoral degrees in medicine and animal behavior. Send letters to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, Mo. 64106.
2017 United Feature Syndicate
Read more from the original source:
Dirt-eating often indicates a diet deficiency - Washington Post
