How To Massage Your Dog

4 dog massage techniques to help your pup rest, relax, and rejuvenate

Ahhh—yeah—that’s the right spot, how to massage your dog! What’s that? No, it doesn’t hurt, it’s divine. Don’t stop now... Who doesn’t love a massage? You can’t beat something that feels so good and is good for you, too. Dog massage lowers blood pressure and reduces stress for both the giver and receiver and takes only minutes a day. Better yet, learning how to give your dog a massage is easy. And if you believe in karmic retribution, just think of all those massages waiting for you down the road!

Daily Dog Massage

     In just ten minutes a day, you can give your dog a “maintenance” massage. Use a flat palm to slowly touch all the parts of your dog’s body. Really focus on what you are feeling and pay attention to all the layers, from hair through skin, fat, muscle, and down to bone. Meanwhile, Liverlover is basking in the attention and loving the extra “petting.” However, there is more to these massages than just quality time together. After a few days, you will have a clear picture of what is normal for your dog’s body. In future sessions, you will be quick to notice any differences in surface temperature, sensitivity to touch, localized swelling or muscle tension, poor coat quality or tight skin. Left undetected, these things can lead to problems requiring medical care, medications, or even surgery. Knowing what feels normal for your dog can also help you provide better information for your veterinarian, trainer, or massage practitioner. This is one way that regular massage can add to the length and quality of your pet’s life.

How to Massage Your Nervous Dog To Calm Them

    Oh, oh. The distant sound of thunder is rolling through your neighbourhood. Your dog begins to whine, roll his eyes, and pant. He dives under your bed. Is there anything you can do to reduce his stress? Massage may be the answer. Massage therapists use a stroke similar to petting to relax the nervous system. Lightly rest the flat palm of your hand on top of your dog’s head or neck. Make long, sweeping passes along the length of the spine and down the tail. Repeat this several times slowly. You can gradually increase your pressure if your dog likes it. Do not press straight down on the lower part of the back. To finish, allow one hand to rest at the base of your pet’s head and the other hand to rest over the area of the pelvis (the high point over your dog’s hips). These two areas correspond to the part of the spinal cord that controls the rest and relaxation responses of the body (for example, sleep, digestion, and tissue repair). This technique is useful any time your dog is nervous or fearful, such as during nail trimming or vaccinations, or when he is hyperactive or restless.

Warm-Up Massage for Active Dogs

    If you work out or play a sport, you’ve likely been told many a time that warming up your body is a vital part of your fitness routine. Active dogs that compete, run, hike with their owners, or just play hard also deserve a good warm-up, and it may even prevent injury. Start with several minutes of petting strokes over your dog’s entire body. Briskly rub the large muscles (neck, shoulders, buttocks, and thighs) with the heel of your hand. Gently lift and squeeze the muscles. The technique is a lot like kneading bread dough. Wrap your fingers around each lower leg and squeeze gently. Relax your grip and move up Warm-up for active dogs the leg gradually, squeezing as you go. Finish with more petting over the entire body to stimulate the nerves.

Relieving Joint Stiffness and Soreness With Dog Massage

    The weekend was great—on Saturday, Tex ran with the gang for hours at the dog park. Then, on Sunday, you two hiked all day. But Monday doesn’t look so good. Tex is limping from couch to water dish, and declining your invitations to play. Ouch! Recent exertion, aging, or inactivity can lead to soreness and stiffness in joints and muscles. To help, start by petting the area around the joint to warm the tissue. Then place your hand(s) over the area and apply gentle compressions over the area. You can use your breathing or count slowly to establish a rhythm as you press and release the muscles. The pumping motion moves fluids through the muscles and takes tension off the tendons surrounding the joint. Never use sudden or direct force over a bone. Finish with more petting over the area to soothe the nerves. Keep in mind that regular massage throughout the life of your pet may help prevent the stiffness and pain that contributes to arthritis. Readers should note that knowing how to massage your dog is not a substitute for veterinary care. Severe conditions require diagnosis and treatment by your veterinarian.

10 “People” Foods for Dogs

10 people foods that dogs can eat to provide a fun variety and a great nutritional boost!

YUM! It's no rare fact that most dogs LOVE "people" food. Here's a list of the top 10 dog-approved "people foods" your dog can eat to increase the variety of their diet and give a nutritional boost!

Can dogs eat that? Apples, salmon, pumpkin, beans, yogurt... people foods that are safe for your dog to eat. As a responsible and informed dog lover, you probably know that too much “people food” can make your dog ill or overweight, but there are some human foods that can be safely added to your dog’s meals in moderation to give a nutritional boost to Queenie’s diet and add a bit of variety to her food bowl. Just remember: any additions to your dog’s meals shouldn’t comprise more than 25 percent of her weekly caloric requirement.

Are you worried that your dog has food allergies? Check out Food Allergies in Dogs.

1. Yogurt is a good source of available calcium and protein. When choosing yogurt, pick one that has live active bacteria and no sugars or artificial sweeteners. The active bacteria may act as probiotics. If your pooch is pudgy, make sure that you pick fat-free yogurt but not one that contains fat substitutes (e.g., Simplesse or Olestra). Frozen yogurt is a nice summer treat for dogs.

2. Flax seed (ground or oil) is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential fatty acids that are good for skin and coat. Whole flax seeds are best if ground right before feeding as this type of fat can go rancid quickly. Flax seed can also be added to your dog’s diet as a source of fibre. Flax oil is a more concentrated form of omega- 3 fatty acids without the fibre. Make sure that you store the oil or seeds in the fridge in an air tight dark container. 

3. Salmon is a fatty fish which is also a good source of omega- 3 fatty acids. These fats support the immune system and can be beneficial for skin and coat health. There has also been some indication that they may benefit dogs with allergies. You can feed salmon or salmon oil. If feeding salmon, make sure it’s cooked before serving, as raw salmon can carry a parasite that can make your dog sick.

4. Pumpkin is a good source of fibre and beta carotene (a source of vitamin A). Dogs need fibre in their diet. The current trend is towards highly digestible diets that lower stool volume and this is not necessarily a good thing. Keeping the GI tract moving helps keep the cells lining the gut healthy.

5. Sweet potatoes are another source of dietary fibre and contain vitamin B6, vitamin C, beta carotene, and manganese. Sweet potatoes are great sliced and dehydrated as a chewy treat for your dog. There are so many dog treats on the market that we often overlook the simple, healthy, and reasonably priced treats available at our grocery store.

6. Green beans are a good source of plant fibre, vitamin K, vitamin C, and manganese. If your dog has a tendency to put on weight, then replacing some of her regular food with green beans is a great low calorie way to fill her up and help her maintain a healthy weight. Many dogs enjoy green beans frozen.

7. Eggs are a great source of very digestible protein, riboflavin, and selenium. For some dogs that are prone to digestive upset, eggs can give them a little protein boost. Adding eggs to your dog’s food is a healthy treat. Make sure to use cooked whole egg, as raw egg whites can cause biotin deficiency. If you do a lot of training with your dog, consider taking cooked eggs to your next class as training treats.

8. Brewer’s yeast is the yeast that’s left over from making alcohol. Dogs seem to really enjoy the tangy taste of brewer’s yeast. It’s full of B vitamins which are good for skin, coat, and carbohydrate metabolism. Make sure you’re using brewer’s yeast (available at health food stores), not baking yeast which will make your dog sick. Brewer’s yeast can spice up your dog’s appetite. Just sprinkle a little on the food of a picky eater and watch her dive into her food.

9. Apples are wonderful crunchy treats for your dog. Apples with the skin on are full of plant chemicals (phytonutrients) that are thought to be protective against some types of cancer in humans. They are a source of vitamins A and C and fibre. Apple seeds, however, contain cyanide so your dog should not be allowed to eat the core. Though the effects of a few apple seeds will likely not harm your dog, the deleterious effects can accumulate over time if allowed to eat apple seeds regularly. To safely feed your dog apples, slice the apples into smaller pieces and make sure no seeds are present in the pieces you're giving your dog. Another good idea is to start in small quantities so your dog can become accustomed to a new ingredient in their diet.

10. Oatmeal is a good source of soluble fibre. This can be beneficial for some older dogs that may have trouble maintaining bowel regularity. Oatmeal is also an alternative source of grain for dogs that are allergic to wheat. It can be fed in conjunction with probiotics to enhance their function. Keep in mind oatmeal should always be fed cooked and plain with no sugar or flavouring. As always, check with your veterinarian before making any major changes to your dog’s diet, especially if they are on any medications. Upsetting the vitamin and mineral balances in your dog’s diet can have negative effects on your dog’s health and some medications interact badly with some nutrients. The aim of most dog owners is to give their dogs the best diet possible. Good nutrition coupled with a health care program may result in extending your dog’s life by as much as 15 percent. The suggestions above are not meant to replace your dog’s normal, balanced diet. Rather, they are ideas for alternative treats or for adding a little variety to your dog’s meals.

Bonus Ideas! Modern Dog Editor Picks:

Fresh-made food. We tried it. Your dog will LOVE this food. Feeding our dogs healthy, balanced meals is extremely important for their health and wellness but busy schedules can prevent us from making them ourselves. Try NomNomNow, delivering fresh, pre-portioned, nutritious meals to fit any dog's diet.—Ed.

Dog Arthritis Pain Relief

8 Things You Can Do To Help Your Dog’s Sore Joints

8 Tips to Give Your Dog Arthritis Pain Relief

Most dogs will experience some form of arthritic pain as they grow older, with many dogs beginning to show arthritic symptoms at just six or seven years of age. Signs of arthritis in dogs include difficulty or pain when getting up (indicated by stiffness or yelping), a reluctance to walk, play, or climb stairs, lagging behind part way through a walk, limping, a dislike of being touched, licking at joints, or a change in personality, such as snappish behaviour from a normally good-natured dog. Here’s how to help a dog with arthritis.

#1 Keep the weight off. Arthritic pain can be managed—and in some cases prevented—by maintaining an ideal body weight. Extra weight puts extra pressure on already sore joints. How do you know if your dog could lose a pound or two? A dog at a healthy weight has a slightly defined waist and a soft outline of the rib cage.

If your dog could stand to lose a few pounds, mind those treats. Hills Pet Nutrition did the math: For a 20-pound dog, a one ounce cube of cheddar cheese is the human caloric equivalent of one-and-a-half hamburgers.

#2 Adjust your dog’s environment with supportive bedding and stairs or ramps.

A bed designed to cushion joints, like the Bowsers' Oslo Ortho Bed (think cool gel memory foam plus a scooped front), is a godsend for older dogs.

Hampton Bay Pet Steps makes ramps and stairs to help senior pups get around and access areas like the couch or the car.

And if your dog is increasingly reluctant to do the stairs, stair treads from Dean Flooring provide much appreciated traction to prevent older dogs from slipping on stairs. They install in five minutes without adhesives and can make all the difference for older dogs.

Also, be sure to keep those nails short. If your older dog has trouble with hardwood floors and other non-carpeted surfaces, try Dr. Buzby's ToeGrips, non-slip grips that fit on your dog's toenails to prevent their feet from sliding out from under them on slippery surfaces. By providing traction they improve the mobility of injured or older pets.

#3 Controlled Exercise. It’s important that you get your arthritic dog moving. Encourage your dog to get up and move around. Exercise should be short in duration and low impact—swimming is an ideal non-weight-bearing exercise. Depending on your dog, short, slower walks are also good.

#4 Supplements. Glucosamine, chondroitin, and fish oils are the gold standards in promoting joint health. GlycoFlex Plus combines glucosamine, chondroitin and other anti-inflammatories to support your dog’s motion and comfort and has been clinically proven to increase hind leg strength.

Iceland Pure’s unscented salmon oil for dogs ($14) is an omega powerhouse. It is extracted at low temperatures, ensuring the fatty acids are not broken, meaning the quality of the oil is the best it can be. 

#5 Keep your dog warm and dry—cold and damp conditions aggravate arthritis. A thin bed on a cold floor is guaranteed to leave your arthritic dog feeling stiff and sore. Make sure your dog’s resting place is cushy enough to not transfer cold up from the floor, but also that’s it’s not so elevated that your dog has trouble getting into it. A cozy, well insulated dog bed with a dip in the bolstered edge provides draft protection while still being easy to enter. 

 Three of our top recommended dog beds for older dogs are: 

• BuddyRest the Juliet Orthopedic Dog Bed utilizes LiftTex technology to promote joint health, while the waterproof Crypton suede fabric ensures the bed stays clean. (From $175, buddyrest.com)
• Bowser’s Oslo Ortho Bed features a revolutionary cool gel memory foam technology for maximum comfort for old joints. ($125, bowsers.com)
• Pet Play’s California Dreaming Memory Foam Bed provides ultimate support and relief from life’s daily pressures. From ($199, petplay.com) 

#6 Massages can improve blood flow and dramatically help relieve the discomfort, stiffness, and muscle tension associated with arthritis. How to massage an arthritic dog: Situate your dog on a soft surface in a comfortable position. Start by petting your dog all over and then proceed to lightly stroke the affected areas, typically the hips, lower spine and knees, using very little pressure. This technique is called effleurage and helps promote circulation and drainage. Using a soft touch, gently massage the area around the joints—avoid putting any direct pressure on the joint itself; doing so can increase inflammation. You want to alternate gentle kneading with rubbing your dog’s skin to create friction and some gentle effleurage strokes to encourage drainage. Pay attention to your dog’s cues and lighten your touch if it appears painful. Start with sessions of five to ten minutes and work up from there, ideally massaging twice a day, in the morning to help your dog limber up after a night of inactivity and again at the end of the day. Find our full, illustrated canine massage how-to here.

#7 Laser therapy. Cold laser therapy is a non-invasive procedure that uses light to stimulate cells and increase blood circulation. It is also thought to reduce pain signals and decrease nerve sensitivity while releasing endorphins, aka natural pain killers. Consult your vet—many offer this treatment modality. 

#8 CBD. The hemp-based, non-psychoactive cousin of marijuana, CBD, or cannabidiol, has dog owners raving about the improvements they’ve seen in their dog’s mobility. For more on this natural remedy for pain and inflammation, as well as anxiety and a host of other issues, read our full article on CBD for dogs.

Can Dogs Eat Apples?

Can my dog safely eat apples, core and all? Here is our opinion.

Can dogs eat apples? It doesn't matter if your dog is eating a green apple or the apple skin. You might have a chihuahua or pitbull you want to know if it is ok to give them an apple. Yes, in short, it is ok to give your dogs apples. Many dogs of all breeds love apples, this is great because apples can be a super, healthy treat. Apples contain calcium, vitamin K, vitamin C, and pectin (soluble fibre). One small apple contains 52 calories. There are quite a few foods you love that your dog can eat too.

Best Ways for Your Dog To Eat Apples

There are many different ways you can get your dog eating apples; you can serve it as a frozen treat (great for teething puppies), you can wedge the apple slice it into a Kong, you can make apple pops with apple sauce and greek yogurt, or even serve it grated as a dinner topping. Try to avoid feeding your dog large amounts of apple cores because they contain seeds and stems. Apple seeds have cyanogenic glycosides which can cause tummy upset and more serious problems if consumed in large quantities. If you are feeding your dog dehydrated apples be cautious. Dehydrated apples contain all of the nutrients of the hydrated ones but they have no water, so only feed little bits of dried apple to prevent tummy upset.

Now you know that your dog can eat apples! Let us know in the comments section if your dog likes them!

Dog Depression! Is Play the Medicine Your Dog Needs?

Is dog depression real? Max seemed to be having a bad time over the past couple of weeks. He had lost his appetite, was not eating or drinking the way he normally did and thus, was losing weight quickly. He seemed to be lethargic, and spent a lot more time than usual sleeping. When he was awake, he seemed nervous, edgy, and common events seemed to worry him. None of the usual activities that normally made him happy seemed to interest him. Any psychologist seeing a person with Max’s symptoms would conclude that he was probably suffering from stress and its most common companion ailment, depression. The problem is that Max is not a person, but a German Shepherd.

It was the late 1980s when Nicholas Dodman of the School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University was standing next to a colleague looking at a dog that had been brought into the Animal Behavior Clinic. The dog was showing symptoms similar to Max. Extrapolating from what he knew about human behavioural symptoms, Dr. Dodman concluded that the dog he was examining that day was stressed and depressed. For a human with these symptoms, the diagnosis would have been clinical depression, and so it seemed to him that this was also a reasonable diagnosis to suggest for the dog. His colleague shook his head and warned him about the dangers of treating dogs as if they had such human-like feelings. His colleague argued, “Dogs don’t experience the same mental states and emotions that people do.”

Dr. Dodman responded, “Look, the dog's brain is structurally similar to that of a human being. The biochemistry of a dog's nervous system works exactly the same as it does in humans. We now know stress and depression in humans is accompanied by chemical and hormonal changes. Here we have a dog who is showing the same kinds of symptoms, which we might observe in a stressed and depressed person. Let me propose an experimental treatment. Let’s give the dog an antidepressant drug, the same kind that we use in people, and see what happens.” 

What happened made history since the dog’s behaviour improved dramatically and ever since then veterinarians and animal behaviorists have begun to accept the fact that dogs, like people, can suffer from the psychological and physical effects of stress. 

Stressors come in a variety of different types, but one of the most important factors is how long the stress continues. Some stressors can be severe, but short in duration (like when you safely survive a traffic accident), while others can be long-term (such as continuing financial difficulties). It is the long term stressors which are the most dangerous since psychological research has shown that these can cause a variety of physical and mental problems. Thus, people under continuing stress are more likely to have cardiovascular and immune system difficulties, and also are most apt to suffer from depression and other psychological troubles. The same holds for dogs, and to counteract the effects of continuing stress and depression, veterinarians now often follow Dodman's υ lead and prescribe the canine equivalent of Prozac. Such treatment has become so common for dogs that this canine antidepressant drug now even comes in beef flavour.

When behavioural researchers became interested in the study of stress in dogs they encountered some problems. Dogs are not verbal, so they can't tell us when they are feeling tense and anxious. That meant researchers had to rely on visible signs and signals from the dog. These were the ones that Dodman was using and also include a variety of signs specifically based upon canine body language, such as observation on how the dog's ears are postured and the activity of the dog’s tail. While such signals can answer the yes or no question, “Is this dog stressed?”, it cannot provide a quantitative measure of just how stressed the dog is.

The breakthrough for the study of canine stress came when researchers recognized that stressed dogs secrete the same anxiety related hormones humans do. The critical marker for stress is the amount of cortisol that is released into the blood system, since this plays a crucial part in the body's response to different kinds of stressors. In dogs, for example, an increased cortisol level can indicate a sharp increase in stress from a sudden frightening stimulus. For researchers, the concentration of cortisol is a wonderful tool since it is possible to determine, in real time, the amount of stress the dog is feeling by taking blood samples, or more recently, by simply taking saliva samples (which is better since swabbing the dog's mouth does not add to his stress level in the way that drawing blood might).

However, suppose a researcher was interested in measuring the continuing stress levels experienced by a dog over a period of days, weeks, or longer. This would require many saliva swabs to be taken over a long period of time, perhaps on a daily schedule. Not only is this a labour-intensive process, but the radioimmunoassay to determine the cortisol concentration in each sample is complex and costly.

“Significantly lower cortisol levels, indicating lower long-term stress levels, were found in the dogs whose owners played with them often.”

Fortunately, a new technique has been developed. It turns out that molecules of cortisol in the blood also tend to be incorporated into growing hair (or fur). As the hair grows, one begins to get an extended picture of the amount of cortisol in the body, and presumably the amount of stress experienced by the individual over longer periods of time. Studies on humans have shown increased cortisol levels in hair of individuals suffering from chronic pain, people who are unemployed, and those who have continuing depression. Based on such findings one can surmise that dogs living with long-term stress levels will show greater amounts of cortisol in their fur.

This was the underlying hypothesis adopted by a team of researchers headed by Lina Roth at the biology department at Linköping University in Sweden. Theirs was an extended study with lots of different measures. The test subjects were 59 German Shepherds. The investigators chose to limit their testing to one breed in order to reduce the likelihood of any possible genetic differences. The dogs were tested three times, in January, May, and September of the same year. At these times fur samples were taken and analyzed for their cortisol level. In addition, the dog owners filled out several different research questionnaires, which were designed to give information about the personality of the dogs, their typical behaviours, and the lifestyle the dogs most commonly experienced.

As might be expected with so many measures, a large number of results were reported, some showing complex and difficult to interpret findings. However, the most impressive finding was a pattern of results, which showed dogs who experience positive human interactions are much less likely to experience chronic stress responses extending over time.

Setting the tone for this was the fact that lower cortisol levels were found in the dogs owned by people who agreed with the statement that the purpose of the dog is simply to have a nice companion.

Significantly lower cortisol levels, indicating lower long-term stress levels, were found in the dogs whose owners played with them often. One might have expected that, since most play activities involve lots of movement on the part of the dog, such activity alone might have bumped up cortisol responses. However, this data shows playful interactions between the dog and the owner serve as a prolonged buffer against stress in canines.

Finally, confirming many earlier reports, which showed the use of rewards during training has a more beneficial effect on dogs than the application of force or discipline, this study found lower cortisol levels for dogs whose owners report that they usually reward the dog with a treat or a chance to play with a toy when the dog behaves correctly.

The researchers summarize their results saying, “Maybe not surprising but [a] still welcome result is that a negative correlation was found between cortisol level and how often the owner played with their dog and also whether the owners used [a] toy/treat when rewarding their dog. Both these results could reflect that friendly and encouraging relationships are related to less stress in the dogs."

The good news from this study is that a reduction in a dog's sustained stress levels can be obtained simply from common short episodes involving positive interactions. Who would have thought that by simply tossing a tennis ball for your dog to fetch or playing tug-of-war, you are effectively providing your dog with a stress reducing antidepressant effect that seems to last over a substantial amount of time. And all of this is confirmed by the long-term diary of a dog's day-to-day stress levels, as recorded in his fur!