Old Spouse's Tales about Animals: Myths about Animals Dispelled and the True Story Revealed
150
Old Spouse's Tales about Animals: Myths about Animals Dispelled and the True Story Revealed
150Paperback
-
PICK UP IN STORECheck Availability at Nearby Stores
Available within 2 business hours
Related collections and offers
Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781491810200 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 09/20/2013 |
| Pages: | 150 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.35(d) |
Read an Excerpt
OLD SPOUSE'S TALES ABOUT ANIMALS
MYTHS ABOUT ANIMALS DISPELLED AND THE TRUE STORY REVEALED
By James F. Gaines
AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2013 James F. Gaines, DVMAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4918-1020-0
CHAPTER 1
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: A DOG'S MOUTH IS CLEAN
THE TRUTH IS:
As a youngster I heard that a dog had a very clean mouth and a good way to clean a wound was to let your dog lick the lesion.
Even today there are people who let their dog lick their mouth and lips. I even saw someone in my clinic let their small dog lick their teeth. YUK!
What if the dog had just gone to the bathroom and licked its rear end or genitals to clean itself. And then there are dogs that will eat the droppings of other dogs. Dog poop is dog poop on the ground or in the dog's mouth.
Do not let a dog or any other pet for that matter, put its mouth, beak, or tongue on your lips or face.
All of my dogs have been taught never to lick any person, even when the person offered their hand. You can teach your dog to do the same.
After handling a pet always wash your hands and teach your children to do the same.
CHAPTER 2
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: A SCOOTING DOG NEEDS TO HAVE THE ANAL SACS EXPRESSED
THE TRUTH IS:
A dog that is dragging its rear end on the ground or on the carpet is usually taken to the Veterinarian to have the anal sacs expressed. And as folks discover the dog is scooting again very soon. If you watch the dog you will often notice that it also lies around licking its lower forelegs.
The most likely cause of these activities is inhalant allergies. Your pet may be allergic to grasses, dust mites, pollens or any number of other substances. Your Veterinarian will be able to tell if it is allergies or some other insult.
Inhalant allergies are quite common in dogs. If humans ran around with their nose just a few inches above the floor there would be a lot more allergies seen in humans.
There are several ways to treat inhalant allergies. One of them is not antihistamines. Antihistamines do not work very well in dogs.
The more common way to treat the allergies is to do allergen testing using either a blood sample or thru a series of injections into the skin and observing the reactions. Check this out with your veterinarian and also do some online homework.
The dog can also be treated with corticosteroids (cortisone) but this group of drugs has some undesirable side effects. The side effects include increased thirst and the resultant frequent urination. The appetite also increases and dogs frequently gain weight on these drugs.
The problem of inhalant allergies in dogs is quite complicated and the only small parts of the puzzle have been worked out so it may take some trial and success treatments to determine what is best for your dog.
CHAPTER 3
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: ABUSED DOGS HAVE BEEN PHYSICALLY ASSAULTED
THE TRUTH IS:
We often read about abused dogs. These are dogs that are shy and they cower or become defensive when approached or when someone tries to pet them.
These dogs are not physically abused in the sense that they were beaten or kicked around. They were, in breeder jargon, "kennel raised". Most breeders want to sell puppies at 6 to 8 weeks of age. Any remaining pups will be kept together and fed and treated as a group until sold and may or may not receive much human attention. This is kennel raised.
Puppies that are kept in a group after about 9 to 10 weeks of age are likely to become shy and withdrawn. The reason: Puppies imprint on what will be their lifelong identification between 9 and 14 weeks of age. If they spend all their time with litter mates they will imprint on other dogs and humans become the outsider, something that is strange and not to be fully trusted. When they become totally imprinted as a dog they are then essentially wild animals. This total imprint on dogs is not common since there is usually some human interaction. Not all kennel raised dogs will become shy but they will probably be different than a pup that has had human attention on a regular basis.
The most severe form of this total imprinting on other dogs is the "fear biter". This is a dog that will just stand in place and if someone tries to pet it the dog will bite viciously. It is essentially a wild animal. I have had clients present newly acquired pups that were 14 weeks or older with the complaint that it was shy and had snapped at the kids. When placed on the examining table the pups were most uncomfortable because this is the first time they had ever been restrained. When I started the examination and touched the animal they tried to bite with a vengeance because they were afraid. Many people will describe such a dog as "abused" when in reality it has not been socialized with humans.
This situation is extremely rare with pups that were socialized with humans during that critical 9 to 12 weeks of age.
It is not safe to try to train a fearful dog to be a good pet. They are apt to revert to the basic, fearful instincts at any time. A number of folks have called to ask what to do with a dog that attacked one of the children in the family and caused bite wounds, some of which were serious. The option here is to either place the dog with a family with only adults or euthanatize the animal. Such an animal cannot be trusted.
A family dog should never bite a child, or an adult for that matter, regardless of the acts of the person. An innocent toddler should be able to innocently pull the dog's ear or tail or climb on the animal and the dog's option is to move out of the area. If a child is intentionally trying to hurt the animal with a stick or kicking the pet an adult must intervene. My dogs were very good watch dogs and though they never bit anyone, they would have made life miserable for someone who broke into the house. They kept a meter reader out of the back yard. He knocked on the front door and was introduced to the dogs and after that he entered the back yard with no problem.
When one of my best bird dogs, Janie, had pups my daughters were toddlers and they were taught how to handle the puppies and that was OK by the momma dog. When my friends came over to see the pups Janie would allow the adults to handle her babies. If they had their toddler along Janie would leave the pups and essentially herd the toddler away from the pups. No one realized what she was doing. She just stayed between the child and the pups, but never exhibited any anger,
Truly abused dogs are those that have been kept on a chain for extended periods, or beaten for no reason, and other unconscionable acts. These animals are not usually aggressive because they do not realize they have been abused and are not looking for revenge. They are looking for someone to care for them properly and they will return the favor with an abundance of love and devotion.
CHAPTER 4
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: BIRDS ARE DELICATE
THE TRUTH IS:
Birds as a species are probably among the hardiest animals on the face of the earth. They live in all extremes of climate from hottest to coldest. They are the fastest of all animals. A peregrine falcon (duck hawk) has been clocked in a dive at over 120 MPH.
Birds can live on a variety of diets, many of which are very specialized such as the hummingbird that lives on the nectar of flowers. And the honey guide bird which leads the honey badger to a bees nest and after the badger is finished the bird has its fill of bee larvae and wax. There are many other examples if you care to search.
Some birds will leave the roost in the morning, fly several miles to feed, make another long flight to drink water, then return to the roost to digest food and preen. The whole process is repeated in the afternoon. Some of these birds such as pigeons, ducks, and others fly many miles in a routine day. There are no mammals that can travel this far on a daily basis just to eat and drink.
Airplanes have encountered buzzards and geese at 30,000 feet and penguins have been caught in nets in 300 feet deep in the ocean.
Birds are some of the longest lived species with some parrots living over 100 years. Parrots over 30 years are fairly common.
I had a client with a wild caught Green Wing Macaw that limped. He had noticed the limp when he acquired the bird but figured it would go away. The limp persisted so we X-Rayed the leg. There was a healed fracture. The bird broke its leg while living in the wild and it healed with no outside help.
Some of the very tiny birds have easily fractured bones but only because they are small in comparison with our standards for size. They get into bruising fights with other birds of the same size for mates and come out with only a few feathers missing. The humming bird beak is delicate but it serves the bird well so long as he is not caught by a human. These same birds can fly several hundred miles or more in a day or two during migration. The Arctic tern migrates 12,000 miles twice yearly.
Birds, delicate? An old spouse's tale!
CHAPTER 5
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: DIFFERENT BREEDS HAVE DIFFERENT TEMPERAMENTS
THE TRUTH IS:
There is little relationship between the breed of dog and its temperament. The temperament of a dog is more closely related to 1. The temperament of the owner; and 2. The age at which it came to be a companion to humans.
I have seen a lot of Pit Bulls in my Veterinary practice and there was only one that was aggressive, and if you met the owner you would know why. The owner was a big guy that was out to show the world he was tough. He had the dog on heavy chain and could barely control it. We got it vaccinated, no one was injured and he left with a more valuable dog since I charge more for unruly patients.
And then there was the nasty Yorkie and a couple of Chihuahuas. They were spoiled brats and a good, loud NO in their face made them sit up and take notice. The owners were impressed also because the dogs then obeyed me. The owners still had brat dogs. Most Yorkies and Chihuahuas that came in were easy to deal with.
The best time to bring a pup into a family is at 7 to 8 weeks of age or younger. Some will say that younger is not good. At about 3 weeks of age pups are weaned and the dam has less and less to do with them because they have very sharp teeth. After 3 weeks of age the only thing the owner can do is feed and clean up because the mother will nurse less and less and will not clean up after them. I have had several pups that came into my home at 4 to 5 weeks of age and they turned out to be fabulous dogs.
Puppies imprint on whatever is going to be their life long identification, human or dog, when they are 9 to 12 weeks old. If they go past this age without going into a human family they are usually maintained as a litter since that is less work for the owner. The pups play together and imprint on the other dogs in litter, not on humans as good pets should do. If the pup comes into a family at 7 weeks of age or so it imprints on humans and usually makes the best pet. Only rarely will such a pup become aggressive and it is usually because the owner has encouraged aggression and has little to do with the breed.
Different breeds are propagated to perform certain tasks but that has little to do with temperament. Border collies have an innate herding instinct, while pointing bird dogs have an inherent instinct to point their quarry. And so on with of the other breeds, but this has nothing to do with temperament. German Shepherds can be trained to attack but are still friendly when not working. If you look up the history of some breeds and the purpose for which they were originally bred you will be surprised.
INTERESTING STORY: During the Vietnam conflict there was a problem with the enemy hiding in the jungle and pulling an ambush. There was also a problem with booby traps and wires to explosive traps across the trails. Pointing bird dogs (English Pointers and English Setters) were trained to detect and go on point when such targets were detected. The problem arose that the dogs could detect the target from a long distance and when they went on point the handler did not know if the target was a few yards or a hundred yards so bird dogs were deleted. The German Shepherd became the dog of choice to work with the troops in that conflict.
Pups that come into the home after about 11 weeks of age may be difficult to assimilate into the family because they are imprinted on dogs and not humans. Dogs that come into the family as juveniles or young adults that have been raised in a litter are more likely to be fearful and bite because they are frightened by unfamiliar people outside of the family. I have dealt with several cases in which a dog attacked and severely injured a child in the family because the child was teasing or playing rough. All of these dogs came into the family as adults of unknown origin.
Any breed of do dog that has been socialized with humans as a young puppy will, as an adult, know that if they do not like what the human (child or adult) is doing the option is to leave the area. Aggression toward the family or youngsters is not an option and the dog knows this. The dog will still be a good watch dog and may be aggressive toward strangers.
In a given family the children and the dog, regardless of breed, will have about the same temperament, assuming the dog came into a family as a young pup. If the kids are really nice and polite the dog (and the kids' parents) will be the same. If the children are unruly the dog will have about the same temperament. You can check this out in your own neighborhood or among your relatives. Just think about it for a moment. Actually cats and birds are the same way but more difficult to discern.
CHAPTER 6
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: CAMELS STORE WATER IN THEIR HUMP
THE TRUTH IS:
I was stationed in Egypt for 3 years, assigned to Navy Medical Research Unit #3. At that time NAMRU3 was the only US military presence in the Middle East, having been there since 1946. The research focus was on infections disease. I had the opportunity to travel the country extensively with a research group led by Ibrahim Helmy. He had been doing this sort of travel for research for over 25 years and could drive across trackless desert and reach our destination with no problem.
Camels can go for more than a month without food or a drink of water. Ibrahim Helmy once took a camel caravan through the Sahara desert (upper Egypt) on a trek that lasted 34 days. Their string of 20 dromedary (single humped) camels did not drink any water for 34 days. They grazed on some of the sparse plants that grow in that arid, hot terrain which has a lot of sand and rock, it only rains every couple of years, and there is no wind.
I have driven thru some of that area on medical research expeditions and there are still tracks from the German tanks of World War II.
Ibrahim Helmy was an accomplished photographer so he had photos of his trip with the camels. He had pictures of the camels just before they reached a water hole and the animal were gaunt, ribs showing, and their abdomens sucked in. They were really pitiful looking animals. None of the camels had died on the trek.
There were allowed to drink as much as they wished. It has been estimated that a thirsty camel can drink as much as 30 gallons of water in just a few minutes. Ibrahim had photos of the animals about 20 minutes after they drank and they looked perfectly normal. They were filled out, the ribs were not showing, there was a bit of a hump and they appeared in good condition.
So, how do they survive for that long with no water? Any other mammal will die of dehydration in a week or less without fluids. Storing water in the hump is an Old Spouse's Tale.
When an animal dies of dehydration it is because the fluid, mainly composed of water, that carries blood cells thru the vessels is depleted. The blood "sludges" or thickens since there is not enough fluid to carry the red blood cells. In turn the blood cannot circulate and the individual perishes.
As the camel uses up its body fluids the red blood cells secrete their fluid, mostly water, into the blood stream, and therefore shrink substantially so that it takes less fluid to transport the cell thru the vessels and the blood does not sludge as in other critters.
The camel stores the water in its red blood cells. The walls of the camel red cells are pliable and permeable to water. There are several billions of red cells so they can hold a lot of water. The red blood cells of other mammals are rigid and not permeable to water.
Now you know the secret of how camels can go for so long without water.
CHAPTER 7
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: DECLAWING A CAT IS CRUEL
THE TRUTH IS:
There is a lot of controversy here because folks just do not understand the big picture. Some folks say that cats need their claws for protection which is an Old Spouse's Tale.
During many years of Veterinary practice I saw 3 cats that had been killed by dogs. All had broken ribs and puncture wounds in the sides that allowed the lungs and intestines to protrude thru the skin.
All 3 were big males—11 to 13 pounds, 4 to 6 years of age and intact (not castrated) and they had all of their claws. The gist of the story is that a cat is no match for a big dog. A small dog is not a threat to a cat.
When facing a dangerous canine the cat may make a stand, puffed-up fur, hissing and striking with a front paw. The dog barks or feints, the cat tries to run but is caught from behind after a few steps, usually across the back, a couple of shakes by the dog and the cat is history.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from OLD SPOUSE'S TALES ABOUT ANIMALS by James F. Gaines. Copyright © 2013 James F. Gaines, DVM. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
ABOUT THE AUTHOR.................... xi
FOREWORD.................... xiii
BIOGRAPHY.................... xv
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: A DOG'S MOUTH IS CLEAN.................... 1
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: A SCOOTING DOG NEEDS TO HAVE THE ANAL SACS EXPRESSED.... 2
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: ABUSED DOGS HAVE BEEN PHYSICALLY ASSAULTED.............. 4
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: BIRDS ARE DELICATE.................... 7
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: DIFFERENT BREEDS HAVE DIFFERENT TEMPERAMENTS............ 9
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: CAMELS STORE WATER IN THEIR HUMP.................... 13
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: DECLAWING A CAT IS CRUEL.................... 16
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: DESKUNK A DOG WITH TOMATO JUICE.................... 20
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: DO NOT FEED BONES TO DOGS AND CATS.................... 23
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: DO NOT FEED TABLE FOOD.................... 27
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: DO NOT PURCHASE PUPPIES FROM PET STORES................. 30
OLD SPOUSE'S'S TALE: DOGS HAVE POOR EYESIGHT.................... 33
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: EXTRA FAT ON THE FOOD IS NOT GOOD FOR DOGS.............. 35
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: FEED WORMS TO WILD BABY BIRDS.................... 37
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: FEED YOUR PET BIRD OR RODENT FRESH VEGETABLES........... 40
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: FEEDING BABY PARROTS IS DIFFICULT.................... 44
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: REGULAR BATHING PREVENTS FLEAS.................... 48
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS ARE DANGEROUS................ 51
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: THE MICROSCOPIC AMOUNTS OF GROWTH ENHANCING ANTIBIOTICS
FED TO FOOD ANIMALS CAUSE RESISTANT BACTERIA.................... 53
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: HUNTING IS CRUEL.................... 57
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: I TAKE MY DOG/CAT/BIRD/PET TO THE VET ONLY WHEN IT IS
SICK.................... 60
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: IF A PUP CHEWS A SHOE SPANK HIM WITH IT AS A LESSON..... 63
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: IT'S DIFFICULT TO TRAIN A NEW PUPPY.................... 66
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: IT'S EASY TO OBTAIN A NEW DOG.................... 70
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: IT'S OK IF MY DOG IS A LITTLE BIT CHUBBY................ 73
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: MOMMA DOGS CAN CARE FOR LARGE LITTERS................... 76
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: USING ANIMALS FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH IS CRUEL............. 79
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: MILK IS GOOD FOR DOGS.................... 84
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: PIT BULLS ARE DANGEROUS.................... 86
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: CONTROL FERAL CAT COLONY POPULATIONS BY SPAY AND
NEUTER.................... 88
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: WILD PREDATORS SUCH AS HAWKS, WOLVES, SEA LIONS, KILLER
WHALES AND SEA GULLS MUST BE PROTECTED.................... 90
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: PUPPIES SPAYED OR NEUTERED TOO YOUNG WILL HAVE PROBLEMS
LATER ON.................... 95
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: PUPPY MILLS CAN BE OUTLAWED.................... 97
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: REWARD GOOD BEHAVIOR WITH BITS OF FOOD.................. 100
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: RODENTS AND RABBITS NEED TO GNAW TO PREVENT THE TEETH
FROM OVERGROWING.................... 101
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: SEED IS A GOOD DIET FOR CAGED BIRDS.................... 103
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: SURGICAL DEBARKING IS CRUEL.................... 108
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: TO HOUSE BREAK A DOG RUB HIS NOSE IN THE MESS AND PUT
HIM OUTSIDE.................... 110
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: USE A BELL TO KEEP THE DOG OR CAT AWAY FROM THE
CHRISTMAS TREE, GARBAGE CAN, OFF THE KITCHEN COUNTER, ETC.................. 113
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: REMOVE TICKS BY COATING THEM WITH PETROLEUM JELLY SO
THEY SUFFOCATE.................... 116
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: KEEP REPTILES IN A SCREEN COVERED CAGE.................. 118
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: OUR COMPANY DOES NOT TEST OUR PRODUCTS IN ANIMALS....... 120
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: WEAN ALL PUPPIES ONTO COMMERCIAL PUPPY FOOD............. 122
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: WEAN PUPS AT 6 WEEKS.................... 124
OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: YOU CANNOT TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS.................. 127
NOT AN OLD SPOUSE'S TALE: HOW TO DECIDE WHEN IT IS TIME FOR A MERCIFUL
END.................... 128