Why Acepromazine Should Not Be Used For Dogs

December 17, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Acepromazine for Dogs is a Bad Idea

Acepromazine, also known as ace, has been used as a tranquilizer for years. However, acepromazine for dogs has recently shown some pretty nasty side effects. Before giving your dog acepromazine, even if your vet recommended it, it’s important to understand why scared dogs should never take acepromazine.

Now, I’m not a veterinarian, but I do work with moderate to severe dog fearfulness and anxiety on the daily, have earned multiple nationally recognized animal behavior certifications, have worked as a vet tech for many years, am currently a psychology major, and currently work for a veterinarian pursuing my animal behavior certification. I also learned the hard way about the pitfalls of acepromazine for dogs, and I can tell you I’ll never do it again. So yes, I do feel I can speak on this subject.

Acepromazine Won’t Reduce Fear or Anxiety

Acepromazine Side Effects

While acepromazine for dogs will tranquilize the body, it doesn’t sedate a dog’s brain, which is where fear and anxiety are created. After taking acepromazine, your dog’s body is unable to move, but his brain is fully functional and freaking out.

To understand the effect of acepromazine on dogs, let’s look at this situation from our perspective. Let’s say you’re terribly afraid of loud noises and decide to take acepromazine to reduce your fear. After 20 minutes or so, you hear fireworks exploding in your neighbor’s backyard. When you try to move away from the sound, your body doesn’t move. However, your brain is still responding with fear. You start to cry because you can’t move, close the curtains or scream for help.

Yes, this is what happens when dogs take acepromazine and then are exposed to fearful stimuli (i.e. loud sounds, anxiety-filled car rides, thunderstorms, scary dogs and people).

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Telling an anxious dog to relax works about just as well as telling someone on fire to not think about it. It’s impossible.[/perfectpullquote]

Acepromazine For Dogs Will Make Fears Worse

Can you imagine being stuck in your body, yet unable to move while being exposed to your deepest and darkest fears? When dogs are repeatedly exposed to scary situations, their fear worsens. Remember, anxiety is a symptom of fear and it’s learned. Anxiety is predicting your fear will happen.

Let’s say a man wearing a red shirt mugs you. You’ve never had a problem with men wearing red shirts before, but you just learned they’re scary (fear). The next time you see a man wearing a red shirt, you’ll likely become anxious (anxiety) because of your past scary experience (fear). It would take many positive experiences with red shirt-wearing men before your anxiety reduces, which takes time.

Now, let’s say you took acepromazine to reduce your fear of red shirt-wearing men during a party. Then, a red shirt man mugs you at the party while you were completely helpless and unable to move because you consumed ace, yet your brain was fully engaged. Now, your fear is complete terror. I think you now understand how acepromazine can worsen your dog’s fear.

Medications for Anxiety in Dogs

Trazodone for Dogs

Thankfully, there are a couple of dog medications that can reduce anxiety (and fear) within your dog’s brain, causing his body to relax. By far, I’ve seen amazing results giving my dog trazodone before he’s exposed to something scary. Many of my dog training clients have had great results with Xanax (alprazolam) too, but I’ve personally witnessed better results using a combination of trazodone and alprazolam.

After Sobek, my two-year-old Rottweiler, had his ACL repaired, he was given strict bed rest for 12 weeks. Keeping a young dog quiet for that long is pretty impossible, so our orthopedic veterinary specialist prescribed trazodone twice a day during that period. Honestly, we couldn’t have made it through the healing process without it, especially since jumping on our bed once could have destroyed his orthopedic repair.

If your dog requires strict crate rest, ask your veterinarian to prescribe trazodone. Please never use acepromazine for dogs. Trazodone calms the brain, so a completely bored dog doesn’t panic when his body is unable to respond. No one should be trapped in an unresponsive body with a completely engaged brain ever—that’s torture.

Drug-Free Ways to Reduce Anxiety and Fear

Fear and anxiety can be draining, so I definitely recommend trying drug-free ways to help your dog. Don’t rely only on drug-free options though; sometimes, dog medications are needed to prevent anxiety and fear from becoming worse. Remember, the more your dog freaks out, the worse it’ll get. Telling an anxious dog to relax works about just as well as telling someone on fire to not think about. It’s impossible. Check out a few drug-free ideas here. As with everything, a combination approach always works best.

Be your dog’s voice. Keep him safe and fear free. 🙂

Why You Need to Pick Up Your Dog’s Poop

December 14, 2015 by Fanna Easter

5 Reasons to Pick Up Dog Poop

No one really wants to pick up dog poop. I mean it is kind of gross. However, it’s a necessary evil, so hopefully these reasons inspire (or freak you out) to pick up the pooper scooper sooner than later. As a general rule, it’s best to pick up dog poop in your backyard every other day. During walks, pick up dog poop every time (yes, never leave home without a poop bag!).

No One Likes a Poopy Dog Foot

It’s happened to everyone: your dog goes out to potty in the backyard and comes back inside with an aroma following him. At first, you check your shoes, but then suddenly notice smeared poop on your beloved hardwood floors (or worse yet, carpet!). Some of you may even witness poop smashed on your dog’s foot. Yup, your dog stepped in poop. Now you need to clean his foot (or feet), including your floor. Gross!

Picking up dog fecal matter daily will ensure this never happens again. If your dog goes on walks for potty breaks, pick it up every time. It’s easier to pick up and throw out dog poop than clean it off your dog’s foot and from your floor. Trust me, your dog is just as grossed out as you. 🙂

Dog Poop on Your Shoe, Gross!

I swear this happens right before heading out to an important appointment; it never fails. Stepping in dog poop is plain disgusting because now you have to clean your shoe, which is easier said than done. It’s worse when you’ve tracked it throughout your house without even noticing it–doubly disgusting! Even more embarrassing is when your friends or neighbors step in your dog’s poop!

You know what makes me even angrier than stepping in dog poop? Stepping in someone else’s dog poop because she didn’t pick it up in public places. Pick up your dog’s poop every time. Never leave home without a poop bag. If you do, find something to pick it up ASAP.

Swarm of Insects

Dog poop attracts bugs–lots of them. If you have a fly problem, you probably have lots of dog poop in your backyard. If it’s not you, then it could very well be your neighbor’s yard, especially if she has multiple dogs.

Now your dog’s poop won’t only attract flies, but also all types of disgusting bugs whose sole purpose is to consume fecal matter. Keep your bug population down and pick up your dog’s poop. 🙂

Deters Dogs From Eating Poop

Dogs eat poop and some will even eat their own poop. When asked why dogs eat fecal matter, I lightly explain that coprophagia (consumption of poop) is an acquired taste; dogs learn to enjoy it by eating it often. Plus, some dogs are attracted to stool that contains partially digested food materials. Short answer: remove poop daily and your dog will never learn to love it. 🙂

Stop Disease and Water Pollution

Not only is stepping in dog poop gross, but leftover dog poop can also pollute our environment. While we secretly assume fecal matter “naturally” decomposes over time, it’s actually seeping into our groundwater. Don’t believe me? Check out EPA’s view on picking up dog poop. They have some very compelling arguments. In some counties, states and countries, you can be fined for not picking up your dog’s poop.

Also, dog poop contains disease; it’s plain and simple. Intestinal parasites are very common in dogs, especially if they haven’t been ingesting monthly heartworm prevention (heartworm prevention also kills common intestinal parasites too, depending on the brand). Unvaccinated dogs can most certainly pass on viruses, such as parvovirus, which is highly contagious. Please, pick up your dog’s poop every time. No excuses.

Hopefully, you’re motivated to immediately pick up after your dog now. With 70 to 80 million dogs in the US in 2014, it’s the right thing to do for our environment.

How to Treat a Torn Dog Nail

December 2, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Treating a Torn Dog Nail

Dog Nail Ripped Off — misscherrygolightly/iStock

Torn dog nails happen, and I’m totally convinced it only happens on weekends when my regular veterinarian is closed. You know the look and sound; your dogs are playing in the backyard and you hear yelping followed by one dog holding up a paw. As you’re walking toward her, you’re hoping she just stubbed it on something. Then, you see it—your dog’s nail ripped off. Fortunately, we’ve provided you dog grooming tips to treat a torn dog nail.

Step One

Get a good look at the dog nail that ripped off. Check to see how much of the nail is torn off and if your dog’s paw is otherwise uninjured. When checking, move slowly and keep pressure to a minimum while holding your dog’s paw. Torn nails are extremely painful.

Step Two

Bring your dog inside and wash the area with an antibacterial soap and warm water. I highly recommend keeping Nolvasan in your pet first aid kit for this purpose. When rinsing, allow water to trickle down and pat dry.

Step Three

Usually, after washing the area, the bleeding from the torn dog nail will have stopped. If your dog’s nail continues to bleed, you can apply Kwick Stop (anti-coagulant powder) to the bleeding area. Now, wrap your dog’s ripped off nail in a clean towel and apply some pressure to help the anti-coagulant powder do its job.

Step Four

Now, you probably have a chance to look at the torn dog nail. This step depends on the severity of the nail injury, but more than likely you’ll need to plan a trip to the vet.

Types of Dog Nail Injuries

Minor Crack or Split

Once your dog’s torn dog nail is cleaned, trim the nail shards sticking out while making sure to keep clippers away from the quick. If the nail injury is minor, trimming will prevent the nail from splitting further up or over. If your dog is walking normally and the nail looks better after cleaning and trimming, you’ll need to keep the area clean. This means keeping your dog from licking the ripped off nail. I place an Elizabethan collar on my dog for a few days, so the nail area can breathe.

If your dog is in pain or the area gets worse, contact your vet. Sometimes, the nail can crack even more, so check it twice a day.

RELATED: Why Dogs Dislike Nail Trims

Cracked Dog Nail

You’ll need to visit your vet’s office if the nail is cracked more than 25 percent of the way. A cracked dog nail is extremely painful and can take weeks to heal and grow out, which can cause your dog unneeded pain. Once at your vet’s office, they’ll sedate your dog and clean up the area. Usually, pain medicine is prescribed afterwards and, depending on the severity, antibiotics may be too.

Dog Nail Ripped Off, Quick Exposed

Personally, I’ve had dogs rip their entire nails off, exposing the quick (i.e. blood supply of nail). That’s a sight I hope I never see again. Yes, we had to visit the vet’s office for sedation to clean the area and check for further damage of their paws. Pain medications were given and protective booties were worn for weeks until the nail grew back and protected the quick.

Entire Nail Ripped Off

Oh my, get to the veterinarian ASAP. This is an emergency, as there’s probably a lot of bleeding. Once your dog’s sedated, your vet will probably have to remove any remaining flesh and suture from the area. This is a common injury for dew claw nails. Those little things get caught on everything, especially if they’re not trimmed short.

Torn dog nails can’t be prevented, but keeping your dog’s nails properly trimmed will keep injuries to a minimum.

Treating Your Dog’s Paw Pad Injury

December 1, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Dog Paw Pad Injury

For the most part, it’s quite common for dogs to injure their paw pads, especially if they run or play on hard surfaces, such as concrete and asphalt. This type of dog injury almost always causes an abrasion like a burn on the paw pad, but no bleeding. Thankfully, this injury can usually be treated at home unless the injury is severe.

Usually, some dogs will limp on the affected paw, but it totally depends on your dog’s pain threshold. Sometimes, I notice my dog gingerly placing his paw in the grass almost like his paw pad is tender, but not entirely painful. Some dogs completely ignore the injury and you’d only notice they’re in pain when they’re napping.

If your dog cuts his paw pad and it’s bleeding, or he’s limping due to a paw pad injury, please take your dog to the vet ASAP.

How to Treat Dog Paw Pad Injury

Examine the Abrasion

Take a peek at all four of your dog’s paws and look for red or pink abrasions that resemble burns or look like your dog “skinned” the area. While looking at his paws, take a quick look at each nail for any injury. Abrasions on paw pads are usually paired with torn nails, so check everything.

If only one paw or area is affected, you can probably treat the area at home. If the abrasion is large and bleeding, and affects more than one paw, I recommend a vet visit. Paw injuries are painful to the touch, so always err on the side of caution.

Clean the Area

Wash the paw pad daily with anti-bacterial soap and warm water, and then pat dry. I highly recommend using Nolvasan Wound Cleaner. This product is an old school anti-bacterial shampoo and wound cleaner that does an amazing job, so keep a small bottle in your pet first aid kit at all times.

Keep It Clean and Dry

Waterproof booties will keep your dog’s paws clean and dry while he wanders around the yard during potty breaks. When your dog’s paws are left uncovered, it’s really hard to keep your dog’s paw area clean, as his paw pads are exposed to everything (and we all know bacteria are everywhere). After four to five days, you’ll notice the area healing and you’ll no longer need the booties.

If your dog’s paw injury becomes worse, contact your vet.

Minimize Exercise for a Few Days

Dogs, especially when playing outside, usually ignore minor paw pad injuries. Unfortunately, rough contact with the ground will only aggravate the area. It’s best to keep your dog’s activity to a minimum by walking him on leash outdoors. It’s only for a few days, but it’ll give your dog’s paw pad time to heal on its own.

Prevent your dog from running on hard surfaces. This will keep abrasions to a minimum.

Digestive Enzymes for Dogs

November 30, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Digestive Enzymes: Are They Really Worth It?

Should you give your dog digestive enzymes? If so, which type?

Digestive enzymes is a hot topic right now, and fortunately I’ve done a ton of research on these supplements for my dogs. Not all dogs need digestive enzymes, but some dogs most certainly do. In this article, I’ll go over how digestive enzymes work and the benefits of feeding them to your dog. Plus, I’ll share my favorite brand that has worked wonders. 🙂

How Digestive Enzymes Work

By providing digestive enzyme supplements, you’re helping your dog’s body not only digest food more effectively, but also absorb nutrients easier.

Not all digestive enzymes are made the same. Most are either plant- or animal-based, and each type works a bit differently, depending on your dog’s needs. For the most part, plant-based digestive enzymes are the most popular and usually contain a combination of papaya, pineapple and different types of fungus. Animal-based enzyme supplements contain animal organs usually derived from beef pancreases that specifically focus on breaking down proteins.

If you’d like more information on how different digestive enzymes work, check out this article. There’s some really good information there, but it’s a bit technical.

What are the Benefits of Digestive Enzymes?

Digestive enzyme supplementation works well for dogs with chronic digestive issues, such as leaky gut, bleaching, constant bloating and gas, diarrhea, or constipation. Dogs that have taken stomach acid inhibitors (e.g. Pepcid) for long periods of time may also benefit from digestive enzymes.

Chronic allergies from food or environmental factors can also greatly improve from digestive enzyme supplementation. Digestive enzymes can help support dogs with chronic inflammation, especially if they’re under constant stress due to anxiety and fear. Lastly, if your dog swallows his food whole (we all know dogs that inhale their meals), he’ll need help digesting each meal, with which supplementation can help.

If you’re still not sure, take a good look at your dog. Non-thriving dogs with dull dry coats, runny eyes, constant hot spots (skin infections), dry flaky skin and brittle nails improve after several weeks of taking digestive enzyme supplements. Understand that supplements should never replace healthy dog food that contains whole foods. Digestive enzymes are a supplement that require nutrient-rich foods to do its job.

When to Feed Digestive Enzymes

Feed digestive enzyme supplements with a meal unless otherwise indicated by your veterinarian or a specific brand’s directions. I feed enzymes with every meal–both morning and evening–for best results. Some brands recommend feeding before your dog eats a meal while others recommend immediately after a meal, so it depends on your selected brand. If you have a difficult time giving your dog a pill, choose a chewable or powdered option. It’ll make both your lives much easier. 🙂

Don’t forget to add a really good probiotic to your dog’s daily meals too. Probiotics are different than enzymes. They feed good bacteria into your dog’s gut, which is especially beneficial for dogs with chronic issues.

Best Digestive Enzymes

For the last two years, I’ve been obsessed with finding the best dog digestive enzyme out there. We’ve tried a ton of different brands. So far, both of my dogs have thrived on animal-based enzymes by Standard Process. Before consulting with a holistic veterinarian, we used plant-based ones that never really did the trick. Our vet suggested Standard Process Canine Enteric Support and Pancreatrophin PMG, and the difference has been amazing!

Is It Really Worth It?

If your dog isn’t thriving, then yes, I do believe digestive enzymes are totally worth it. During my research, I found a few claims on how digestive enzymes are killed by stomach bile, which renders them useless in the small and large intestine. Also, some experts (and non-experts) feel that giving digestive enzymes makes the pancreas and liver kind of lazy since the supplements would essentially be doing their job.

While I hear what they’re saying, I believe non-thriving dogs (i.e. dogs with digestive allergies and chronic inflammation) are missing something that thriving dogs have. So if supplementation works, then by gosh go for it! Just to be sure I’m not talking out of turn, it seems many holistic vets feel digestive enzymes are needed when dogs have an imbalance or they’re just not thriving.

All I can say is digestive enzymes have helped my dogs, so let your dog be the judge. If you’re still uncertain on whether or not digestive enzymes can benefit your dog, find a holistic vet in your area. She’ll point you in the right direction.

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