Jenna & Snickers » nutrition and health

One Question Interview with Dr. Harvey Cohen

jenna — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:42:34 +0000

Welcome to the second installment of the One Question Interview series. Today’s answer is from Dr. Harvey Cohen, nutritionist and dog lover.

Question: If you had the opportunity to communicate and teach one concept to all dog owners everywhere, what would it be and why?

Answer from Dr. Harvey Cohen

Feed fresh unadulterated food to your dog. Avoid preservatives, chemicals, dyes, coloring agents, salt and sugar.

Keeping your dog away from chemical additives is the most important thing you can do to achieve optimal wellness. This nutritional choice, to eliminate chemicals from the diet, is so important that it is second only to love, when it comes to what your dog needs most for health, happiness and longevity. I believe if I could communicate to guardians everywhere the inherent dangers of the chemicals found in most commercial foods, we would see a tremendous decline in many degenerative diseases in our beloved companion dogs.

About Dr. Harvey
Dr. Harvey Cohen known to most as Dr. Harvey is a pioneer in holistic nutrition and the natural feeding of companion animals. He has been a tireless advocate of natural living for people and animals and has dedicated his life to teaching others the healthiest way to care for their companions. Distressed by the growing numbers of animals afflicted with cancer, allergies, skin problems, kidney disease, digestive disorders and arthritis, Dr. Harvey determined that the root of most of these problems is commercial pet food.

Since that time, Dr. Harvey has created foods, treats and supplements for dogs, cats, birds and horses, that use only healthy, chemical-free, all natural and organic ingredients. He has helped thousands of companion animals to regain their health and thousands more to maintain optimal wellness.

For more about Dr. Harvey, visit drharveys.com.

Limited Preventatives and Vaccinations

jenna — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 11:01:20 +0000

An important part of responsible dog ownership is providing your dogs with preventative veterinary care and immediate attention to injuries and illnesses.

People often ask me what I mean when I say my dogs are on a limited vaccination protocol or I mention other limited medications. Basically, I try to give my dogs the least amount of prophylactic chemicals that I feel will still do the job. This does not mean that I am not responsible in the care of my pets. I have put a lot of thought, research and consideration into these decisions.

NOTE: I am not a vet or a medical professional of any type. This is my personal opinion. I’m writing about it because people have expressed interest in my choices and why/how I made them. You should talk to your vet before changing the dosage or frequency of anything you give your dog.

Vaccinations

Canine Distemper & Parvovirus
After his initial puppy shots, Snickers had a distemper/parvo vaccination at one year and hasn’t had one since then. I had him titered in February of this year and he showed sufficient levels of antibodies for distemper and parvo, which means he doesn’t need to be vaccinated. I adopted Secret two years ago and she had just been vaccinated. I had her titered last month and she has plenty of antibodies also. She’s eight years old now, so I actually hope to never give her a distemper or parvo vaccination again. (There is some controversy regarding the usefulness of titer results. My vets trust them and I trust my vets.)

Most vets use a combination vaccine. I prefer that my dogs receive the least number of diseases in the vaccine. The only diseases I’m OK with being included in my dogs’ Distemper and Parvovirus vaccination are Parainfluenza and Adenovirus.

Rabies
I follow the LAW regarding Rabies vaccinations. Luckily, NY and IN are both 3 year states, so that’s how often my pups get their Rabies shots.

Other
I do not have my dogs vaccinated for Bordetella, Corona virus, Leptospirosis, Lyme disease or Giardia. My vets (one in NYC, one in Noblesville, IN) are both fine with that.

Related Links

Heartworm Preventative

My Shibas get heartworm preventative (brand and dosage as recommended by my veterinarian) every six weeks, during spring, summer and fall. Once the first frost comes, I discontinue until spring. The only time I make an exception for this is when Snickers and I are actively doing animal assisted activity visits. When we were visiting elementary school classrooms, my vet recommended we continue hw preventative year round because it also protects against roundworms and hookworms. (Apparently, most roundworm victims are children.)

I’ve read multiple articles about 45 day schedules being acceptable, but I can’t find any of them right now that don’t require subscriptions. Talk to your vet. My vet in NY said that the meds recommend 1x per month because (1) it is easier for people to remember and (2) a monthly schedule is still safe if you forget and do it late.

Flea & Tick Preventative

When we were living in Manhattan, I didn’t use topical flea & tick preventative regularly. If I was taking the dogs outside the city, I would treat them with Frontline Plus a day or two before leaving (unless it was winter time and therefore unnecessary). Now that I’m living outside the concrete jungle, I follow a six week schedule for flea & tick preventative. I treat them the Sunday after their heartworm preventative is given.

If you live in an area where fleas and ticks live year round, you should continue preventatives year round also.

To Fix or Not to Fix, It Shouldn’t Be a Question

jenna — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:57:19 +0000

Recently, someone on a Shiba board asked for recommendations for a good vet to neuter their dog. One of the responses was "Why do you want to do that to your dog? If you are a responsible owner and control your dog, there is no reason."

Well… there are more than a few reasons why truly responsible owners have their companions spayed or neutered.

Even if “you are a responsible owner and control your dog” there is no guarantee that your dog will never be loose without permission (how many of us have had our Shiba slip or break their lead?). If you aren’t there to control your dog, you can’t be sure he won’t impregnate another dog (or get pregnant if she’s female).

Dogs that are not spayed/neutered are not welcome in as many social situations (like daycare and some dog parks) and therefore can’t be as well socialized and enjoy as many fun activities.

Unneutered males are attacked more often by other males – regardless of how well behaved the unneutered dog in question may be – because other dogs can smell the testosterone and it makes them more aggressive and defensive.

Unneutered males are more likely to develop prostate cancer. Unneutered males can develop testicular cancer. Unspayed females are more likely to develop breast cancer. The odds of all these things are pretty low, but why take the chance?

I will admit, I am absolutely pro-spay/neuter, although I am not a fan of early spay/neuter. (I waited until Snick was 14 months old to have him neutered because my personal conviction is that no hormone production should be altered until after the dog is physically mature.)

I have seen too much pain and suffering caused by the overpopulation of companion animals in this country – overpopulation caused by irresponsible owners, backyard breeders and puppy mills – to not be pro-spay/neuter. I don’t believe anyone should own intact dogs other than responsible, knowledgeable breeders who are breeding selectively to better the breed. I strongly encourage everyone who loves the breed in general and their dog in particular to have their dog spayed or neutered.