February 2019 – Iffy Dog

I’m a dog person. When I drive, I notice dogs all of the time. When I see an unaccompanied dog, I stop. This morning, while driving my daughter to school, we saw this dog all by itself near a very busy road. I stopped, rolled down my window, and called out ‘Go Home’. The dog walked over to the car, so I got out. She was very friendly, so I opened the back door and said ‘Get in’. She did. I really wish that all stray dogs were this easy to catch!

She was wearing a collar, with no tag. I just happen to have leashes and towels and treats in my car (which is basically an Uber for dogs to go the vet and kids to go to school).

She was extremely happy and enjoyed our drive to school.

We dropped my daughter off and drove directly to the closest place with a microchip reader. If you find a dog, the first step is to check for a tag and/or a microchip. Any shelter or veterinarian’s office will have a microchip reader and scan a dog for you.

Luckily, Wilma had a microchip. Unluckily, it was registered to the Indianapolis Humane Society, and had not been updated in 10 years. Yes, Wilma was rescued and adopted 10 years ago, about 800 miles away from where I found her.

Any dog that enters a shelter or rescue should be microchipped and registered to that shelter or rescue. We left a message for the Indianapolis Humane Society and let them know that Wilma was found stray in New Orleans and left my phone number as a point of contact.

Wilma’s story has a happy ending. I was just parking at home (thinking I have 4 dogs and 4 fosters here already – 9 dogs is a lot, but she’s my responsibility now) when I get a text. Hi Danielle, I think you found my dog.

Yaaaaaay!!! The Indianapolis Humane Society was able to track down Wilma’s adopter. She lives just a few blocks from me and has had this dog for 9 years. She was so worried and very happy to have her sweet girl back home.

I’m over the moon that it worked out, and this sweet girl was reunited with her very worried family. This could have had a different ending. Wilma could have been hit by a car. She could have been taken in by someone who did not check for a microchip and just kept her. Her un-updated chip may have been a dead end.

PLEASE KEEP A TAG WITH YOUR CURRENT CONTACT INFORMATION ON YOUR DOG’S COLLAR. If Wilma had been wearing a tag, I could have taken her home in under 5 minutes.

Tags and collar can fall off, but microchips are permanent. If your dog is not already microchipped, ask your vet to do it. Dog’s get out, it happens. Don’t you want to make it easy for them to get home? If your dog is microchipped, register it to your name and address and UPDATE it whenever your contact information changes.

When one of my foster dogs is adopted, I hand the new owner information about the dog’s microchip and instruct them to register it online. It only take a few minutes of your time.

Don’t have the paperwork for your dog’s chip? No problem, have a veterinarian’s office scan the dog and you can look up the microchip number on the AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup site The site will tell you if and where the chip is registered, when it was updated last, and explain how to reach the registry to check and/or update your contact information. Here is an example:

You can register your dog’s microchip with both the manufacturer’s registry and with the universal (and free) Found Animals registry.

Microchips reunite families, but only if they are updated and accurate. Please check that yours is up to date today.

Raise your hand if you can’t stand to see an animal in pain? What if I told you that most of the time you don’t even know that a dog is in pain. A dog never says ‘ouch’. A dog that is ill or in pain tends to become more subdued and quiet until they are too sick to hide it anymore. Dogs suffer in silence. You will even get affection, tail wags, and kisses from a dog who is in pain.

How can you tell if your dog is in pain if you can’t see an injury and they are hiding their discomfort? As pet owners, we have to learn how to read our dog’s body language and behaviors. In animal rescue, we often don’t have any medical history, and we do not immediately know what is normal behavior. Rescue dogs tend to be stressed in the shelter and when they initially arrive in foster care. They need time to decompress and to show us their true personalities. We need to observe our pets very carefully.

Establish a baseline for your dog’s behavior, because any noticeable change in behavior can be cause for concern. Just pay attention.

All of these are signs that your dog may be sick or in pain:

Changes in Activity Levels – Limping, stiffness, reduced activity levels are good indicators of discomfort.

Changes in Sleeping Habits – Dogs that are in pain sleep more. It may be difficult or painful for your dog to move around.

Pacing, Restlessness, and Inability to Sleep are all signs of agitation or pain.

Antisocial Behavior – If your dog is no longer running to meet you at the door, or is avoiding other dogs, something may be wrong.

Aggressive Behavior – You know how when you are sick or hurt, you get short-tempered? Dogs do too.

Changes in Eating and Drinking Habits – A loss of appetite is a big red flag that your dog is not feeling well. Difficulty chewing may indicate dental pain. (More on this below.)

Being More Vocal – Increased whining, growling, snarling, or howling may be your dog’s way of trying to tell you something is wrong.

Heavy Panting in a dog that has not been physically active or Shallow Breathing are signs that something is not right.

Excessive Grooming – Self-soothing activities such as paw licking may be a sign that something isn’t feeling right for your dog.

Shaking and Trembling can indicate that a dog has eaten something it should not have, such as chocolate or xylitol, and is having muscle tremors. Shaking can also indicate general pain, pancreatitis, or kidney disease.

If you notice any of these behaviors, call your veterinarian.

While I have you paying close attention to your dog…

Does your dog have bad breath?

Are you just ignoring it because you think that all dogs have bad breath? They don’t. When is the last time you looked closely inside of your dog’s mouth?

Periodontal disease occurs five times as often in dogs as it does in humans. The majority of dogs over the age of three, at least 80%, have some form of dental disease. It begins with a simple plaque and tartar build-up and mildly inflamed gums (gingivitis). If gingivitis is left untreated, it can develop into periodontal disease and the loss of bone and soft tissue around the teeth. Periodontal disease hides below the gum line, and you can’t see it. Did you know that periodontal disease in dogs can be extremely painful? Dog owners are often unaware of their dog’s chronic pain. Dogs have evolved to hide pain. Their instincts are to hide any overt signs of illness because members of the pack who show weakness are considered vulnerable. The bottom line, your dog may have painful, abscessed teeth and still eat just fine.

If left untreated, pets with periodontal disease are more likely to develop heart, kidney, and liver disease because bacteria from the gums enter the bloodstream and stick to the arteries around the heart? Taking care of your dog’s dental hygiene is an important part of taking care of your dog’s health and preventing pain.

Let’s talk about your dog’s mouth, because mouth pain can result in significant changes in your dog’s behavior.

Here is what to watch for:

Foul smelling breath – may indicate infection
Red, inflamed gums, particularly around the teeth – Gingivitis, could indicate an abscess
Yellow/brown material on the teeth – Calculus and tartar
Broken, loose, or missing teeth, or holes in the teeth – Caries
Gradual loss of interest in playing with or chewing toys
Blood in the water or food bowl or on chew toys
Rubbing or pawing at the mouth – may indicate discomfort or pain
Fussy eating, favoring certain types of food, eating on one side only, dropping food or having problems picking up food
Salivating and drooling

You wouldn’t go years between dental exams and teeth cleanings, and neither should your dog. You brush your own teeth a couple of times a day, but maybe 1% of dog owners actually brush their dog’s teeth. Start off right, if you have a puppy, you should brush your dog’s teeth daily. If you have an older dog and you have not previously brushed your dog’s teeth….well, good luck. They may not let you. If there’s already gum disease present, brushing may be ineffective and even very painful. There are chew toys that are designed to help keep your dog’s teeth clean as well as dental treats. (Just search chewy.com for dental chews and dental treats for dogs.)

Please make sure you visit your vet with your furry friends for a regular health check that includes an annual dental exam and cleaning. Keep in mind, as dogs get older, they may need dental cleanings more often; it depends on the age and breed as well as the dog’s diet and home care habits (Smaller breeds tend to need more dental care than larger breeds.)

A full canine dental exam and cleaning are done under general anesthesia because periodontal disease hides below the gum line. See the photo below – the black line indicates the amount of tooth that we cannot see. Periodontal disease hides below the gum line, and you can’t see it.

We have had several foster dogs that needed major dental work. I really wonder if their previous owners ever looked at their teeth, or ever realized how much pain their dogs were actually in? We could smell their dental issues from across the room. Ignoring this is cruelty and negligence.

After our foster dogs had their bad teeth pulled out, we noticed big changes in their behavior. They were no longer in pain. Please, take a moment to go look into your dog’s mouth, and always pay attention to changes in behavior. Don’t let your dog suffer in silence when a visit to the vet can relieve their pain.

Month: February 2019

Lost & Found Dogs

Is Your Dog in Pain?