Dog Parks: Outdoor fun, or disaster waiting to happen?

Dangers at the Dog Park: Help your client avoid dangerous conditions and snarling dog fights with these tips

Heather Biele, DVM. Veterinary Economics 55(9): September, 2014, pg. 15

Summary

In this article Dr. Biele offers veterinarians guidelines for advising clients on the “do’s and don’ts” of dog parks. Dog parks, fenced in areas where many dogs can run free together, offer many mental and physical benefits for dogs. But they also can be sites of disease transmission and fighting resulting in serious injury. The following are key points of advice the author suggests to dog owners:

• Be sure the dog is the right temperament for a dog park (not overly fearful or aggressive)
• Keep the dog current on vaccines and flea and tick preventatives
• Perform regular fecal examinations if a frequent visitor to dog parks
• Educate owners to recognize signs of aggression in their dog
• Train the dog to obey simple commands.

A client handout on dog park safety tips is included in the article which can be downloaded from the journal's website.

Commentary

The internet is awash with articles promoting both the benefits and dangers of dog parks. Strong opinions can be found from veterinarians, dog trainers, and owners. The ASPCA has a very detailed and informative piece on the subject on their website. (http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/dog-parks)

I am a firm believer in outdoor exercise for dogs. All dogs, especially working breeds that are high energy and high strung, need regular activity and play. Exercise keeps dogs physically and mentally fit and can prevent behavioral issues so common in dogs not given the opportunity to get outside.

However, I also see the down side of uncontrolled multiple dog interaction. 

Dogs are pack animals, but they are also territorial and can become aggressive with little warning. The “big dog:little dog” syndrome that veterinarians see so often is an example of what can go wrong in a dog park. Bite wounds range in severity but are frequently complicated by infection that can become serious and even life threatening.

I am not sure the general public is sufficiently aware of dog behavior to recognize when aggressiveness is imminent in their own dog and others. Even if they were, will they be close enough to their dog at a dog park to intervene and prevent an attack? Education of dog owners about these issues is certainly beneficial, but will it make dog parks safer?

What is your opinion about dog parks? Sometimes I think our profession is not vocal enough about important issues affecting our patients and their owners. We have a unique perspective. Our knowledge and experience are an important resource to local communities about issues relating to animals. Do the benefits of dog parks outweigh the risks? Can anything be done to make dog parks safer (separate areas for large and small dogs, for example)?

Post comments either on the blog or on facebook (Dr. Stephen Birchard, Veterinary Continuing Education). Also, take the poll on dog parks in the upper right corner of the blog site. (view web version to see the poll)

5 Safe Chew Toys that Veterinarians Give to Their Own Dogs and Cats

Veterinarians know what toys are safe for their pet to play with. As a follow up to the blog on what not to let your dog or cat chew on,  I asked several veterinarians and veterinary technicians to tell me what they consider acceptable toys for their own dogs and cats.* Here are the top 5 items they prefer:

The Classic Kong

Kong: The Kong products seem to top everyone’s list as  safe, durable, and fun toys for dogs. Fill the classic Kong with peanut butter and kibble, put it in the freezer overnight, and let your dog go to town. They even make a blue Kong that is radio-opaque so in the unlikely event that it is fragmented and eaten it will be visible on x-ray films.

Goughnut stick

Goughnuts: These durable toys are the favorite of some of the vets I asked. The interior of the sticks and other toys are red so that the owner can easily see if the toy has been damaged and needs to be taken away from the dog.

Kong Pajama Buddy

Kong Pajama Buddy: Fill these with catnip to make them an attractive toy for your cat. One vet told me her cat even takes them camping!

Orka Dog Toys: Like the Kong, these tough toys come in variable shapes and can be filled to treats to enhance and make them more interesting.

Busy Buddies: The Kibble Nibble toy is filled with dry dog kibble. Bits of kibble drop out as the dog rolls the toy around the floor. Warning: dogs get pretty good at efficiently getting the dry food to fly out of the toy, but at least they’re getting some exercise!

*Disclaimer: although these products are considered safer than other commonly used chew toys, supervision of your dog or cat when playing with or chewing on an item is highly recommended. Make sure to offer an appropriate size of toy that cannot be swallowed whole by your pet.

10 Things Your Dog or Cat Should Never Play With or Chew On

I have been a veterinary surgeon since 1984, so I’ve spent almost 30 years surgically removing objects lodged in the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and intestines from dogs and cats. A simple lesson I’ve learned from this experience is: when dogs and cats swallow something other than food, it can kill them. Here are 10 common items that can cause serious problems for your dog or cat:

Bones: That’s right, “A dog and his bone” are not a good combination. They love to chew them but if swallowed whole or in fragments they can lodge in the esophagus, intestine or rectum and cause severe problems. Substitute real bones with large nylon bones that they can’t break up or swallow.

A fish hook lodged in the esophagus of a dog. Surgical removal was required.

Fish hooks: Dogs and cats eat them because they taste like fish. Fish hooks are good at catching fish but will lodge in the mouth, esophagus, stomach, or intestine requiring either endoscopic or surgical removal.

Undergarments: Don’t ask why, but dogs love to eat our “unmentionables”. They get stuck in the stomach or intestine and if not removed quickly they can cause perforation of the bowel and life threatening infection.

Panty hose being surgically removed from the intestine of a dog.

Keep tampons out of reach too!

 

Corn cob in the intestine of a dog. 

Corn cobs: Dogs can swallow them whole and they will plug up the guts in no time.

Baby pacifiers: Kids and pets are usually a great combination, but keep an eye on pacifiers and bottle nipples. Dogs love them as appetizers.

 

A scarf being removed from the intestine of a dog.

Linear foreign bodies: socks, strings, towels, plastic bags, rug fragments: A kitten playing with a ball of yarn is cute, but not if kitty eats it. Strings wrap around cats’ tongues and can extend from there all the way to the large intestine. Dogs will eat all kinds of stringy materials. The foreign bodies will make the intestines bunch up and perforate and are an extremely serious problem. That string they use to tie up your Thanksgiving turkey? Guess who would love to eat it?

Radiograph of a dog with gravel in his stomach and intestine. 

Rocks: “If he chews it, he will swallow it.” Give your dog safer alternatives to satisfy his chewing desires. Don’t discard meat drippings on your gravel driveway.

 

Radiograph of a dog with a ball in his stomach

Balls: tennis balls, golf balls, rubber balls; anything that he can fragment or swallow, he will.  Playing ball with your retriever is fine but when the game is over, put the ball away.

Gorilla Glue: Dogs like the taste so they will eat the entire bottle. Then the glue rapidly expands and hardens and forms a mold of the inside of the stomach requiring surgical removal. Save yourself some money and your dog some pain and suffering by keeping this stuff away from him.

 

A large stick being removed from the chest cavity of a dog.

Sticks: Dogs love to chew them and run with them. Both are bad. Splinters from the sticks get jammed into their throat or esophagus and cause severe infection. Small splinters may migrate from the throat to remote areas of the body causing a chronic infection and draining tracts.

Conclusion: Keep risky items away from your pets. When you give your dog or cat something to play with, ask yourself: can he swallow this? If the answer is yes, take it away. Even when you give your dogs or cats a safe toy, supervise them. Talk to your veterinarian about safe chew toys for your pets. Your furry loved one will thank you by living a longer life.

Questions are welcome, and please share any experiences you've had that we can all learn from.