Category: Blog
Why My Dog is NOT Doing Veganuary

Why My Dog is NOT Doing Veganuary

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And Neither Should Your Pet Carnivore…

One of these two creatures is vegan, the other eats vegan creatures…

It’s already halfway through January. It’s been hard to escape the “new year, new me” bandwagon and the ever more present “Veganuary” initiative to encourage us to embrace a vegan diet to improve our personal health and reduce our environmental impact.

So, it’s hardly surprising that an increasing number of vegan pet foods have arrived on the market. It’s such an easy sell: if you love animals then why should they suffer just to feed your pet? Don’t you want to minimise your carbon footprint/pawprint? The arguments in favour are beguiling and designed to appeal to pet parents. They are using our love of animals and the natural world, and our desire to do what’s best for our pet and our shared planet. But personally, as a trained biologist, I feel the vegan pet food marketing is superficial and often just plain wrong. I feel that with our current food technology, it’s not possible to feed a dog or cat a vegan diet for the longer term and be certain we aren’t damaging their health. Yes, dogs are facultative carnivores evolved to survive on whatever scavenged calories come their way, but to truly thrive they need animal protein.  You can live an otherwise vegan lifestyle but please accept that your pet carnivore needs to eat animal protein or if this isn’t acceptable to you then please consider a vegetarian pet such as a rabbit or guinea-pig. Your dog is a carnivore, please feed them as such.

Please note: for a very few dogs with complex kidney issues and/or food intolerances then there might be reasons to choose a plant-based diet short-term (under vet supervision). This isn’t about those dogs, this is about the pet dogs who are fed vegan as a lifestyle choice by their carers.

Cats and Dogs Are Carnivores

I’m going to stick to talking about dogs here because I have a dog, however the same applies to cats but more so, these are CARNIVORES (literally “meat eaters” in Latin). The clue is in their name, they need to eat animal protein. First, some comparative anatomy. If your dog or cat will let you, then open their mouths and have a look at their teeth – really pointy jagged canines evolved for holding onto and ripping through prey, that’s not the grinding dentition of an animal that eats plants. They have a short extremely acid digestive tract with no second stomach for fermentation of plant matter. They produce high levels of protein and fat digestion enzymes and low levels of starch digestion enzymes. Basically, everything about their teeth and digestive system screams meat eater. On a molecular level too, they are carnivores. All animals are made up of cells, think of them as the Lego building bricks that make up your body and your pet’s body. Little fluid filled bags that are also factories, warehouses, power stations, building sites, waste recycling plants, structural supports, and army battalions. The cells all need energy to carry out their various processes. Their energy comes from food that is broken down in the gut into smaller molecules carried in the bloodstream, then passed across cell membranes into the cells that need it. The two main energy sources are carbohydrates (all the starchy/sugary foods) that are broken into glucose to fuel an intracellular energy harnessing process called glycolysis, or fats and proteins that fuel an alternative process called ketosis. Mammals appear to be able to use either glycolysis or ketosis, but each cell can only use one method at a time and switching between is inefficient and each switch on/off releases proinflammatory messenger molecules which long term can lead to increased risk of cancers, diabetes, pancreatitis, and autoimmune conditions. So, it’s more efficient to use primarily one or the other for your main cellular energetics. Most modern humans as true omnivores mostly use glycolysis, but we can use ketosis if we eat a high fat and low carb diet. There are some dieticians who would argue that this is our more natural state, and we should eat this way, hence the popularity in some circles of “keto” and “paleo” diets. The wild relatives of our dogs and cats primarily use ketosis, and as there’s no major physiological differences between a wild canid and Sally fluffy wolf, it seems logical to assume that ketosis is her default state too, as it is for your pet carnivore. So why does this make vegan foods bad news for our dogs?

Vegan Pet Food Tends to be High Carbohydrate

So, let’s start with the nutritional bit they don’t have to put on the packaging: the carbs. Most vegan foods are dry kibbles high in carbohydrates. In many pet foods carbs make up a greater percentage of dry weight than the fats or proteins but (amazingly) pet food manufacturers don’t have to declare the carb content (unless they choose to). A small amount of complex carbs can be beneficial to dogs as prebiotic dietary starch and plant matter supplies vitamins and minerals that would otherwise be lacking in a purely animal-based diet. But despite what the food bag label might tell you carbs aren’t really a “healthy source of energy” for a carnivore. If you feed a high carb food to your dog, then they will be forced into constant switching between glycolysis and ketosis as they try to extract the energy (and as explained above this really isn’t good for them) and if there’s more energy available in the carbs proportion of their food than they require at that point in time it will get converted to glycolipids and stored as fat (extra protein and fat is more easily excreted), so feeding that carb-rich food may also encourage weight gain and obesity.

Vegan Pet Food Is Usually Low Moisture

Another issue with dry carb-heavy kibbles: water (or lack of). Dogs have evolved for tens of thousands of years eating a diet of raw, then raw and cooked scavenged foods that would be around 70% moisture. With most dog breeds not having the kidney complexity to survive desert conditions, feeding a dry diet long term is going to put strain on their urinary tract. Before/after we get into the other nutritional shortfalls of vegan food for carnivores, dry food is going to be a potential urinary tract stressor. Carnivores that have evolved to obtain most of their liquids from food don’t get strong thirst signals if their stomach is full, so they don’t know to drink extra with dry food. If you do have to feed dry food, any dry food, to your dog then always add additional water to their food-bowl and wet the food.

Plant-Based Fats Are NOT Comparable to Meat Fats

Fats (lipids) are essential for energy, and for healthy growth and tissue repair. All those cell membranes are fats, fats cushion joints, are used to build the eyes and brain, help carry fat soluble vitamins around the body and make hormones and immune messenger molecules. When allowed to self-select their food it’s been shown that dogs consume around 50% of their calorie intake from fats (Roberts et al. 2018). Interestingly this works out to 10-20% of their food by weight, curiously about the fat % they’d get from eating a raw diet based off whole prey as this is about the fat % of prey animals such as a duck or a rabbit.

There are many types of fat, dogs can use pretty much any fats found in animal or vegetable oils for ketosis. So yes, if it’s “just” for energy then dogs could use plant fats although if these are high temperature cooked, they may be inefficiently digested. They also require “essential fatty acids” (so-called because mammals can’t synthesis them for themselves) for growth and tissue repair. These are also known as omega oils, the main types being omega 3s, 6s and 9s. They are predominately synthesised by microalgae, and bioaccumulate in the marine food chain until consumed by predators. Only marine sources are an easy way to get the full range of these fats, land-plants tend to contain mostly omega 6s with a low or no omega 3s. Pet food standards (based off what’s easiest for manufacturers) allow the ratio of omega 6s to 3s to be up to 30:1, but this is far from what dogs would naturally encounter if eating animal prey, in grass-fed meat the ratio is only around 3:1. But for anyone formulating a new pet food you can bet that they’ll add omega ratios closer to 30:1 than the natural 3:1. Also in pet food, high temperature cooking can make many fats more difficult for carnivores to metabolise. They can end up developing pancreatitis as they are forced to produce extremely high levels of digestive enzymes to break down the cooked fats. In contrast, the fats in raw or lightly cooked meat are more easily digested and provide an easily obtainable energy source. It’s the difference between a flexible raw piece of pork and a dried out piece of crispy bacon. Once you dry up and cook the fats it’s increasingly difficult for the dog’s body to digest them. All vegan dog foods are high temperature cooked tins or kibbles, so making the fats inaccessible to dogs, increasing their risk of pancreatitis when they try to digest them (why you’ll see “low fat” kibble sold as if this is a good thing) and impairing their ability to synthesis hormones and maintain joints as the only omega oils provided in quantities are omega 6s. It’s just not possible to make a vegan food with a high quality (for a carnivore) lipid profile unless you use high-cost marine algal additives. If these are added they will be added sparingly to make up the minimum and not the optimum nutrition levels. So, I also won’t be feeding my dog vegan because vegan dog food doesn’t have the fat profile she needs for good health.

Baby Sally tucking into a high fat, high protein raw chicken wing

Vegan Protein (Or Lack Of)

Proteins are the structural (the muscle tissue etc) and the workhorse (the enzymes, antibodies, and some messenger molecules) components of cells. They are made up of links known as amino acids. There are around 20 core amino acids (we can argue about the weird tRNA modified ones later, this is a basic overview so let’s just say 20 core amino acids) in mammals. For dogs, 10 of these amino acids are considered essential -again similarly to essential fatty acids, these are essential as their bodies need but can’t make them, they need a dietary supply. Plant proteins have a very different amino acid profile to animal proteins and are low/lacking in some essential amino acids. This means absorption and use of the essential amino acids is not as efficient as from animal protein, you need to feed a higher overall amount of protein to get enough of the essential amino acids, and few/no plant sources are “complete” protein sources with all 10 essential amino acids, whereas most animal proteins are “complete” in that they contain all 10. Pet food manufacturers have a minimum recommended intake for each essential amino acid, but this is recommendation not a requirement, and it’s also again this is the bare minimum needed for survival. So, while that bag of vegan kibble may be marketed as “high protein” it is NOT high-quality protein for your carnivore, as it’s high plant protein with a different amino acid composition. To make it “complete” most will use yeast extracts. Yeast extract is a controversial dog food additive as some fresh feeding advocates feel it’s (over)use as a pet food ingredient may increase risk of grain intolerances (from trace amounts of grain protein), gut or skin yeast infections (as it’s extracted from yeast cells it’s the perfect fuel for yeast growth), and bloat (it could occasionally contain trace amounts of highly toxic ethanol – a natural waste product from the yeast, which forms excess carbon dioxide gas as the body attempts breakdown). The problem with all these claims are that they haven’t been assessed by scientific studies, so while the naysayers can give plausible sounding reasons to avoid yeast extract for our dogs, we just don’t know whether their fears are warranted. Yeast extract isn’t a particularly “natural” foodstuff for a fluffy wolf, so again I’d rather avoid, better be safe than sorry… Finally most vegan proteins, whether plant or yeast, undergo the same high temperature cooking as the fats. Again similarly to fats, this renders the protein more indigestible and less able to be used by the body and could be more likely to trigger an immune reaction.

Legumes

Legumes (soya, chickpeas, beans, peas, lentils etc) are used as to increase the protein levels in vegan pet foods, and as a filler to make the ingredients adhere together. You may be increasing your dog’s risk of developing dilated cardiomyopathy heart disease (DCM) if you routinely feed large quantities of legumes. The original working hypothesis was that the legumes interfered with absorption of the essential amino acid taurine, and this resulted in heart muscle abnormalities. The American FDA opened an investigation but failed to identify a link. It’s considerably more complex than simply that legumes result in taurine malabsorption (many dogs on legume-rich foods have normal taurine blood values) but in one experimental study feeding high legume protein grain-free foods resulted in measurable (on an echocardiogram) heart damage in as little as 30 days even although the study dogs appeared outwardly healthy (Owens et al. 2022). This is incredibly worrying for anyone thinking about switching to a vegan dog food as most use legumes. Given the possible heart disease link, and how quickly the first signs of heart disease can develop, legumes are NOT ingredients I’d want in my dog’s daily diet.

Vegan is (Wrongly) Marketed as a Premium Food

Okay, I’ve said what I don’t like about the vegan dog food ingredients, but considering that at the bottom end of the pet food market “with chicken” can legally mean the food contains only 5% chicken, is vegan kibble really any worse? The vegan alternative is likely to have higher overall protein and more natural ingredients. So why am I warning you away from the vegan dog foods?

Cheap dog food doesn’t make any pretentions, it’s cheap, it’ll fill your dog up and provide the minimum legally permissible nutrient levels that will keep them alive. Yes, it will be high carb, low protein, low moisture, and it will contain synthetic versions of vitamins and minerals that are inefficiently absorbed compared to their corresponding natural forms. But you know it’s not a premium product, so hopefully you are more likely to supplement it with additional fresh meat and fish and veggies whenever you can. The difference is that vegan dog foods are priced to compete with the luxury end of the market, but are generally low nutritional quality masquerading as gourmet offerings. They are often marketed as a complete food solution and a means to avoid the ick factor of having to feed your dog those yucky animal protein extras. Yet they are anything but luxury, and can be made with cheaply sourced ingredients bought on the global marketplace with poor traceability from farm to consumer and have to be supplemented with synthetic additives to be able to squeeze past the goalposts of being legally sellable. Yet their manufacturers use emotional blackmail that as animal lovers we will pay extra for their supposed ethical and cruelty-free advantages. They throw in some dodgy “science”: dogs are omnivores is a favourite claim, no they aren’t, dogs can be omnivorous (anyone who’s walked a puppy will know they will eat just about anything regardless of nutritional value – hello dirty tissues, lost glove, fortnight old roadkill, dropped sandwich, fox poo etc) in that they will take advantage of any calories they happen to come across, but their physiology and molecular biology are that of a true carnivore. It’s “vet approved” is another common statement- you just need to find/pay one vet to agree, it’s a meaningless utterance. Add a testimonial that “Fido had a constantly dull coat and itchy skin until they started on V-Dog Wonder FudTM” and you are ready for market. Yes, if a dog has a protein or grain intolerance and the vegan food omits that specific allergen, then short term problem solved, but you could just as easily feed them any other food without particular trigger. Don’t fall for clever marketing, for every pet food, read the label carefully to help you decide if it’s something you’d want to feed to your dog. Look for named traceable and fresh ingredients and low/no added synthetic nutrients.

So, If Not Vegan, Then What?

Ethics

What can we do to decrease our collective pet food carbon pawprint? What are the alternatives to vegan dog food? In the short term it’s probably best to look for companies with a focus on ethical and environmental accountability, some use B-corp certification to signal their progress. Look for ingredients sourced from regenerative agriculture, local ingredients, higher welfare farming, and genuinely renewable or recyclable packaging that works for you (it’s no use it being home-compostable if you don’t have a pet-secure compost heap, it’s no good it being recyclable if your local council doesn’t collect it). There are some companies making encouraging steps in these areas, Naturaw, Different Dog and Lily’s Kitchen have received B-corp status, Ethically Raised uses regenerative farming, Bella and Duke use only UK and Ireland sourced meat and vegetables and higher welfare farms and are part of RawSAFE that ensures higher food traceability. Many now use food packaging that’s reusable, recyclable, or home-compostable. It’s not unreasonable to ask companies what they are doing to reduce their environmental impact and what steps they take to protect livestock welfare and use their answers (and be alert for greenwashing in their answers) to inform your purchasing choices.

Extra Veggies

How much meat does your dog actually need? Can you add some more veg  (ideally locally grown to cut down food miles) to their diet? Personally, I don’t think you can feed dogs a 100% plant-based diet, but neither do most dogs require “prey-model raw” that is purely animal protein with no fruit or vegetables. Most dogs are able to consume somewhere between 5-30% veg (by food weight) without becoming nutrient deficient. You can reduce their meat/meat-rich wet/dry food and up their fresh veg intake. It’s been suggested that adding as little as 10% fresh food to a processed diet will reduce your dog’s risk of developing diseases such as some cancers, pancreatitis, and diabetes. You are improving your pet’s health and helping the planet. It’s such an easy small step.

Make Use of Food Waste

Look for fresh protein that would otherwise go to waste – short-dated meat/fish in the supermarket, offcuts from butchers and fishmongers, these protein sources are effectively carbon-free to you as you are saving them from landfill.

Novel Proteins

Longer term there are new lower environmental impact sources of animal protein. Insect protein is one front runner, but I’m not yet ready to risk basing my dog’s diet on it. The current production methods lend themselves to bacterial and mycotoxin infection as the insect larvae are bred at large scale on brewery or bakery wastes. Again, the nutritional profile is disparate to that from animal meats, plus there’s a unique problem with insect protein, even trace amounts of the chitin exoskeleton may cause auto-immune overstimulation because of chitin’s molecular similarity to pathogen cell-wall glycoproteins. But, insect protein is a vastly underutilised resource which seems likely to play a greater role in feeding a hungry world, and no doubt there will be more insect-based pet-foods in the coming years. It’s definitely one to watch.

Emerging from the realm of science fiction into science fact is bioreactor protein. The “lab grown” meat technology has so far recreated measly burgers and nuggets of animal flesh by cloning muscle cells taken from a living donor. This technology has yet to become commercially viable at scale. There are still issues with growing cells for infinite generations without the use of growth additives such as foetal calf serum (yes that’s as horrible as it sounds, Google it if you dare) derived from slaughtered animals. There’s a high energy cost in running cell incubators. But, using bioreactor artificial meat for pet feed is so much simpler than turning the soup of animal cells into something resembling muscle tissue that will be palatable to a human diner. For pet food it can just be fed as a protein-rich broth or dried into a protein powder to add to kibbles or canned foods. I do think we’ll see this technology come of age for pet food long before it’s mainstream for human foods.

In Conclusion

Back to today. For all the reasons I’ve stated here, I’m NOT letting my dog participate in Veganuary. As a scientist, and as an animal and nature lover, I choose NOT to feed vegan to my carnivore. Not until there’s a lab-synthesised food with an amino and fatty acid profile that matches fresh rabbit, with bioidentical versions of key vitamins and minerals and a water content of around 70% to match up with fresh food – and all for a carbon pawprint lower than using than locally sourced high welfare meat and vegetables.

Yes, I’d love there to be a way to feed her without using animal protein, but to keep her healthy that’s what she needs to consume. If you don’t feel you can feed meat to another animal, then please don’t get a carnivore as a pet.

TLDR – Why Not To Feed Dogs Vegan?

  • Most vegan foods are dry kibbles – urinary tract strain as they evolved to consume 70% moisture foods
  • Dry kibbles so high carbohydrate broken down through glycolysis, but dogs are better off using fats/proteins used in ketosis
  • High legume content may be implicated in DCM heart disease
  • Different amino acid profile than animal protein – may contain yeast extract
  • Low in essential fatty acids
  • High temperature cooked that makes it more difficult to digest
  • Added synthetic forms of vitamins and minerals to make up the deficits, but these are inefficiency absorbed compared to the natural versions in fresh food.

TLDR – Best Foods?

  • Feed fresh food from a range of protein sources with a variety of fresh veg and fruit
  • Increase the veg to as much as your pet can tolerate (probably 5-30% of their meal)
  • Source local and traceable food
  • Watch the emerging alternative protein sources and maybe try these as snacks
  • Look out for high ethical, environmental, animal welfare and food safety labelling
  • Ask food companies what they are doing to reduce their environmental pawprint and improve livestock welfare.
Does this look like the dentition of a grass-eater to you?

Disclaimer: All views are my own, I am NOT a dog nutritionist but I am a PhD qualified biologist with a strong interest in feeding my dog to maximise her health and longevity. Sally is rawfed and eats a wide range of brands, she’s also food sponsored by Bella and Duke. I’ve been independently approached by two of the largest vegan kibble companies in the UK who offered me a “collaboration opportunity” for generous monetary remuneration. Both times I’ve refused as I feel my dog’s health is more important.

The Most Essential Piece of Dog Kit – Tractive GPS

The Most Essential Piece of Dog Kit – Tractive GPS

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Sally wearing the Tractive Dog 4 attached to her harness.

Tractive – Wearable GPS with us on every walk

Our getting ready for a dog walk routine: call dog, dress her with collar and harness, find snacks and poo bags, get my shoes and coat, pick up her leash and make a final check she’s wearing her Tractive GPS.

Sally’s been a Tractive dog since her teenage sleddog phase, when for her safety and my peace of mind I bought a first generation Tractive. We upgraded to the new Dog 4 GPS last January, so have now field and loch and going through gorse bushes tested it.

Tractive recently asked me would I like to review their dog GPS. I said “yes” because it’s an essential piece of Sally’s kit (disclosure: this is a paid partnership, Tractive made a generous contribution to Pet Blood Bank UK on Sally’s behalf, but all views and opinions in this piece are my own).

What is Tractive?

Tractive are the market leader in pet GPS tracking. They make pet wearables that couldn’t be easier to set up and use. Here I’ll be reviewing the new model Dog 4.

In the box you get the Tractive device, a stretchy collar clip and a USB charging lead. All packaging is card/paper with no plastic!

What’s in the box?

You get the Tractive GPS device, a stretchy rubber collar clip, and a charging lead that connects to a standard USB power adapter.

The GPS is small (71 x 28 x 17 mm), lightweight (35 g) and streamlined with rounded corners to prevent it from snagging on obstacles. It sits along your dog’s collar or harness, being connected by the fragile looking but tough rubber clip (it’s survived 6 months of Sally’s best efforts to dislodge it – it’s tough!). Unlike the older devices, you don’t have to unclip it for charging as the charging pins connect at one end. The LED will turn from red to green once it’s ready and it takes only 2-3 hours for a full charge.

Set-up

Each device has a unique code, to activate it download the free Tractive app (available in the Apple and Google Play stores), make a user profile, choose your subscription plan (similarly to a mobile phone you need to pay for data usage, but this is a flat fee per month) and upload your code.

You need to take the Tractive outside for it to begin location tracking. Location finding is through GPS, but information is relayed back to you through cellular connections. Unlike your own phone, the device is not limited to one network but uses any of several cellular networks, selecting the one with the strongest signal.  

Tracking

The device handshakes with the GPS satellites every 10-15 mins, so, when you open the app, the map should load with a relatively recent position. Activating LIVE mode will give you constant updates, and you can also turn on a light and sound (we don’t use these options, as the LED is invisible in Sally’s fluff and the sound annoyed her, so she tried to remove the device). There’s a choice of map types – standard, satellite, OSM and there’s also a new augmented reality mode which overlays your dog’s position on your phone camera view (see screengrab below).

There’s a few seconds timelag in position updates, but this hasn’t ever been an issue. Using the “show trace and heatmap” function, I know where Sally’s been and can see the direction she’s headed.

Bluetooth, share function and limits

On a walk near her Grandpaw’s house there’s poor mobile phone connection. The Tractive device is constantly receiving GPS data from satellites, so as soon it gets even a blink of cellular connection (far sooner than my phone) it reports its location. I’m reliably informed from Grandpaw back at home (if you choose Premium subscription, you can share your dog’s location with friends/family) that he can view Sally’s whereabouts. So, if the worst happened and you lost your dog in an area with poor cellular coverage, once they re-enter coverage, the Tractive will report in, and you’ll see where they’ve been.

It will fail to get a GPS signal in dense woodland, but I’ve found it works on trails with overhead breaks in the tree canopy cover (see screengrabs above). As most animals will use paths if they find them, I feel that if Sally became lost in woodland, I’d locate her again as soon as she discovered a path. The device also uses Bluetooth to communicate to your phone at close range. This means that if your dog is close by, you’ll be able to find them even in dense woodland (or down a rabbit burrow!).

Waterproof

It is FULLY waterproof to IPX7-standard (up to 1 metre depth, 30 minutes). This has been frequently tested by Sally going into lochs, rivers and the sea. She’s not a swimmer but she does enjoy sticking her face underwater, so when on her collar the device is completely submerged.

Sally demonstrating her fishing behaviour that washes the Tractive when it’s on her collar. The stretchy collar clips will also attach to the emergency light attachment loop on most dog float-jackets.

Virtual fence & battery saving zones

You can set up a “virtual fence” and be alerted if your dog leaves. I set it around Grandpaw’s house as it’s *nearly* a completely enclosed garden and Sally likes to snooze outside the back door but will occasionally disappear on a rabbit-chasing adventure. With Virtual Fence I get an alert as soon as she reaches the neighbouring hedgerow!

To save battery, you can set a power saving zone near your home Wifi. Speaking of battery life, it’s pretty good. I’ve found it needs charged every 2-3 days. If you use LIVE tracking, it will rapidly run down the battery, but it can cover a 2 hour walk on LIVE and then survive the rest of the day on normal use. You are sent phone notifications when the battery reaches 20%. Having a longer battery life is important to me, because if Sally were to run several miles (if she got spooked by thunder or hunting gunshots) it may be some time before she would turn for home. I always make sure her Tractive is charged up before offleash walks.

Activity & sleep tracking

This new model has activity and sleep tracking. To use them it’s recommended you leave the device permanently on your dog’s collar and the collar on the dog (except for charging). I’m not using these features to best advantage as Sally is usually “naked dog” at home, with her collar removed.

You are encouraged to set a daily activity goal and see how your dog compares with to others using local, breed, global and friend leaderboards. If you have friends using Tractive you can invite them to your “friends” board. It’s interesting to see how Sally, who only wears her Tractive for walks, measures up against the constant wearers. I worry you could go to competitive extremes and overwalk a young or infirm dog, so I appreciate the most recent update that anonymously compares your dog against others of the same breed, age and weight, plus the recent option to opt-out of the leaderboards.

The sleep tracker is interesting and will be a good way to monitor changes as Sally gets older and may start developing doggy arthritis or dementia. I’ll be able to see if she was up during the night (but she would have to wear her collar for this). Currently she’s showing unusually high sleep efficiency as her collar is off overnight so the Tractive isn’t moving.

Activity data is downloaded via Bluetooth when the app is open. The GPS device can store about a week’s worth before it overwrites (rather annoyingly if you have just managed a 100-day streak of completing your recommended daily exercise but forgot to download it, but that’s a minor grumble).

History

The History function is a great way to relive walks later, to see where you’ve been, and if you turn on the heat trace, you can see where you’ve lingered the longest and identify the good picnic spot for next time (or the rabbit warren or squirrel tree you want to avoid!). With Premium you can go back to any past date within the last year and view your adventures – and you can share the route maps with family and friends to tell everyone about your dog’s walks. Sally likes to come home and show her Granny where she’s been on her weekend trip to Grandpaw.

Pimp your device

The Tractive comes in Snow, Coffee or Midnight blue. With usage the outer plastic will inevitably become scratched and marked – see the photo below of Sally’s Tractive after 6 months of hard wear!

Tractive sell protective sleeves and covers that protect and jazz up the device – but they need removed before charging. I found the hard cover easier to remove than the soft sleeve but wish there was one that could stay on for charging. There’s a limited choice of colours and patterns, hopefully they’ll soon bring out some more, I’d like a girly pink for the fluffy princesses such as Sally!

Overall impressions – 100% Sally approved

Tractive gets the 100% Sally Approved rating from us. The small lightweight wearable disappears into her fluff to the extent it’s usually invisible, but knowing it’s there gives me peace of mind. The battery lasts a reassuring several days, and the device and attachment clip are robust and waterproof and survive all that Sally throws at them. The app is easy to use, and the new features help you better understand your dog’s daily activity. Tractive comes with us on all Sally’s adventures and it’s thanks to them I feel more confident giving Sally some offleash freedom.

Do you use Tractive? Do you find it easy to use? Any stories or comments about dog GPS you’d like to share then please comment below! And if this has encouraged you to get a Tractive for your pet then click the link https://tractive.com/en/pd/gps-tracker-dog!
How to keep fluffy dogs cool in the heat

How to keep fluffy dogs cool in the heat

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Seaside paddles in the cooler evening

As I write this, the UK is currently undergoing our hottest ever weather, and while Scotland isn’t suffering the same 40 °C heat as England’s south coast, we have daytime temperatures in the mid to high 20s – about 10°C hotter than is comfortable for Sally and her fluffy kin.

So, what am I doing to keep a fluffy wolf cool? What actually works and what just looks cute in Tiktok videos but is no real use?

Ice

To feed or not to feed? You might have seen the viral Facebook post “written by a vet” that says NOT to feed ice as it can upset dogs thermoregulation and make them hotter, but search a bit deeper on the internet and you’ll find plenty of reputable sources completely debunking this – it’s perfectly fine to feed dogs iced treats as long as they aren’t currently in heat-shock (when the thermal shock of the cold ice could further stress their system).

Sally is LOVING iced snacks, she gets her food frozen into ice-lollies, and I’m making bone-broth (see my recipe here) at least once a week to freeze into ice-cubes for her. If there’s nothing else going, she enjoys a chomp on a plain ice-cube. You can also use things such as kefir, plain yogurt, dog-safe herbal teas, the watered down liquid from a sardine tin, mashed fruits etc to make lollies. These are making up a fair proportion of Sally’s food intake at the moment (why I’m using her actual food in them, to try to retain some semblance of a balanced diet) because as soon as it’s hot she gets picky with eating. Be a little bit careful with smaller dogs and don’t feed large amounts of ice as you don’t want to chill them, also if they have sensitive teeth then adding something to the ice (bone broth, mashed fruits, kefir etc) makes the ice less brittle and easier to crunch. Flat shapes and lollies are less of a choking hazard than cube shapes.

Ice-lollies are always a hit with Sal! These are raw dog food mince, kefir yogurt and bone-broth with a carrot stick.

Water

You can buy all sorts of sprinkler mats and paddling pools specifically for dogs (or use a child’s one but watch dog claws as they can easily puncture toy pools). These are no use for Sally, unless it’s muddy and comes in a river or loch or the sea she’s not a water-baby. She had a paddling pool that was studiously ignored. If your dog loves the pool or sprinkler then this is a great way for then to cool down, but limit their time as dogs can overdrink in hot weather and end up with water toxicity if they are gulping down water for hours as they are playing.

There’s lots of advice online about wetting towels/putting towels in the freezer and letting them lie on a cold wet towel and draping another over them to cool them. I’ve tried this in the past but stopped as her skin became very red, and I was worried she’d develop hot spots from the damp. I’ve found a bandana or circular scarf soaked in cold water does seem to help as it’s providing evaporative cooling to the front and chest.

Going for walks (when it’s slightly cooler) near water is much enjoyed as paddling helps keep them cool.

Sunscreen

Just don’t (for Samoyeds at least). If it’s bright enough and hot enough to need sunscreen on your fluffy white dog’s ears and nose then you shouldn’t be out. Samoyeds have built in sun protection with their dark pigmentation around the eyes and nose and lips, and their ears have a protective fur coating. They shouldn’t need sunscreen unless they are recovering from been clipped. Other thinner coated and paler nosed dogs may benefit from dog-safe sunscreen but it shouldn’t be needed for your Samoyed, but if you have concerns then please check with your vet.

Cooling vests/bandanas/t-shirts

My DIY cooling scarf bandana does seem to help Sal on hot car journeys. I’ve never tried a cool coat as to be effective these have to be tight around the body, so they squash the hair and remove the protective insulation (against both heat and cold) of that Samoyed fluff. If you put a cool coat on them then you are solely reliant on the coat to keep them cool. There may be times when you feel that the coat will be more effective than their fluff, so if you feel you want to try it then go for it, but be aware you’ll need to constantly check if they are cool enough and if the coat has dried out (most use wetting for evaporative cooling).

Cool mats

Great idea for dogs who’ll use them. Be careful with chewers as the gel inside isn’t meant to be eaten. Some people suggest putting the mat inside a duvet cover to stop the dog chewing it, but the cover between the mat and the dog will reduce it’s effectiveness. Sally doesn’t like the feel of the mats so this is another great idea we have to go without… (you can sense a theme emerging here can’t you…).

Cold Floors

Sally rarely sleeps on her dog bed, she prefers the cold floor, and never more so than now. When she gets really hot she hops into the shower tray or the bath! If you have a room with a tiled or wooden or lino floor this will be cooler than carpets or rugs, so leave doors open so as they can access this space.

Fans and aircons

I had a fan when Sal was a puppy. I left it on when I was out in the summer as my house tended to heat up. She enjoyed it and would sleep in the airstream, but often got eye infections and dry eyes from the dry air until I started using eye drops for her. If you are using a fan, particularly with a puppy, it would be a good idea to speak to a vet about pet-safe daily eye drops you can use.

Car rides and pet friendly stores

If it all gets too hot in the home then sometimes (if you have aircon) the car is a better option, I’m seriously considering taking Sal for a short drive soon just to break up the monotony of house arrest for her. Also some larger shops with aircon are dog friendly, so while it seems crazy with the sun blazing down outside, consider a shopping trip to a cooler dog friendly retail outlet if you can journey there without overheating.

Grooming

It’s too hot for them to be fully bathed and air-blower dried, but make sure their undercoat is well groomed out so as air can circulate in the coat as this will help keep them cooler. If you have a doggie dryer/blaster then a blast on cool while brushing will get rid of the loose underfluff. Or see if you can book them into a groomer for a brush out.

Midnight walks

Check a few different weather apps for when the coolest temperatures will be in your area. This might mean 5am or midnight walkies. If you feel awake enough at those hours, then go out for a short sniff at every lamppost walk. We’ve been doing this for the last wee while, to the extent that I feel we’re personal friends with each of our local urban foxes, as they are the only other creatures stirring at this hour and we see them in passing every night.

Take it easy

Finally remember that under exercise and boredom for a short while won’t harm your fluffy dog, but exercising in the heat might. Take it easy and enjoy the slower pace. Use the time to make them some iced treats, do a through brushing, or play enrichment games in the house. Try some of the cooling tips that work for us (Sally says ICE-LOLLIES!) and also maybe some of the things that didn’t work for us might make a difference for you. And just take the time to chill, at the moment Sally is quite happy to laze around and snooze and dream of the day it snows again! Paws crossed it’s not so long now until the colder weather comes again.

Essential First Aid Kit For Dogs – My Dog Cupboard Must-Haves

Essential First Aid Kit For Dogs – My Dog Cupboard Must-Haves

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If you think your dog needs to see a vet then don’t wait around trying to fix things yourself at home, go to the vet! These are the things we use for small scrapes/ailments while I’m waiting on a non-urgent vet appointment or for things I know will clear up on their own.

Sally hurt her shoulder about a month ago, and due to deferred pain and boredom chewed a hotspot on her elbow. I’ve been treating it for the last 2 weeks (almost healed now). I realised I’ve used just about every “first aid” product I have in the dog cupboard. I’m going to talk you through what we have, because it’s a fairly short list that I wouldn’t be without. Like me you’ve probably seen “dog first aid kits” for sale. I’ve never invested in one because most contain more items than I’d ever use (if it’s that serious I’d go to the vet) and my small stock seems to fix most scrapes and cuts. I try to use natural/mostly natural products but also products where there’s some solid science behind why/how they work.

Sally peacefully snoozing with a vet wrap bandage keeping a hotspot on her elbow clean (and stopping her from chewing it)

My Dog First Aid Kit:

  • Leucillin
  • Green Clay
  • Lucaa+ Wound Spray
  • Anicura Dog Gel
  • Vet Wrap
  • Wound Dressings – And that’s all!
Green clay
Non-adhesive dressings
Vet wrap
Leucillin antiseptic
Lucaa+ wound spray
Anicura dog gel
My dog first aid essentials

Leucillin

Leucillin is a salt solution (not sodium chloride, but hypochlorous salt (HOCl): a chemical that is naturally produced by vertebrate white blood cells to kill bacteria). It’s strongly antibacterial (and antifungal and antiviral but is harmless to vertebrate cells). The makers claim it doesn’t sting and is safe to use near eyes, mouths and ears. I’ve found it stings slightly if applied to broken skin or sunburn (it’s not licenced for use on humans as it hasn’t undergone clinical trials but it’s highly effective for cleaning small cuts and also for curing my earache in the winter!).

Uses

You can use Leucillin to clean wounds, soothe irritated skin, wipe around crusty eyes, clean out sore ears etc. Either spray directly from the bottle or onto a cotton pad or tissue and wipe. I use it as my first go-to for cleaning any wound or scrape.

Green Clay

Green clay is a fine powdered clay dust, most comes from just a few quarries in France where it’s been used for wound poultices since at least the Napoleonic wars. It can also be mixed as a drink to settle an upset digestion. There are “pet” and human brands available, the clay in both is identical as long as you get a human one with nothing else added (some sold for spa face masques have essential oils added).   

Uses

If you have a wound that’s not healing, then mix a little clay with cooled boiled water (or Leucillin) into a thick paste. Use a cotton pad or bud to coat the wound. Bandage and leave for 12-24 hours. Use warm water to remove the dried clay (it sticks a bit in the hair). The clay dries out the wound and prevents infection by drying out any bacteria cells. It also forms a barrier which stops infection reaching the wound. You can wash the wound with Leucillin and reapply clay if the wound hasn’t scabbed after the first application. It’s safe if your dog licks it.

Green clay can also be used similarly to Pro-Kolin to slow down food passage through the gut if your dog has diarrhoea. For a dog Sally’s size, a half teaspoonful of the powder sprinkled over food (or made into paste with water and spread onto a dog snack) once/twice a day should be enough. The large surface area of the clay particles and their hydroscopic nature mean they bind to and remove water and toxins in the gut so slow things down. If symptoms persist more than a day or two go to the vet and/or purchase Proflax Tummy Tastic (clay and lots of good probiotics and herbs including slippery elm bark) and/or slippery elm bark. But for us, the clay powder usually does the trick. I use it as a prophylactic to prevent sickness if she’s eaten a particularly whiffy dead crab. Don’t use internally if your dog is on any oral medication as the clay will bind to and remove the drugs too, rendering them ineffective.

Lucaa+ Wound Spray

Lucaa+ Wound Spray works on the opposite principle to Leucillin. Instead of killing bacteria, this is a mild soap solution that cleanses a wound, and adds a mix of probiotic bacteria that will repopulate the skin microbiota. The idea is that the natural “good bacteria” in the spray out-compete the infection-causing bacteria and replace them. So far I’ve found wounds treated with this spray are slower to heal than with Leucillin. Some infectious bacteria are infectious because they grow quickly, so I’m not completely convinced that the probiotics can get established rapidly enough on a deep or badly infected wound to make a difference.

Uses

It says to use on any wound to aid healing. I use Leucillin and green clay first, then switch to this to re-establish the healthy skin microbiota as the wound is almost healed.

Anicura Dog Gel

Anicura gel contains apple cider vinegar and sea buckthorn as the active ingredients. Soothing and mildly antimicrobial. Sally is terrible for reopening scratches and small wounds by chewing them. This gel seems to sooth the area and prevent her from chewing.

Uses

I find it soothes irritated/broken skin and speeds up healing after hotspots. I use it 1-2 times daily from when a wound is fully healed (after I swop from the Lucaa+) until I have a reasonable hair regrowth over the area.

Non-Adhesive Dressings

I buy ones for humans and the largest size I can find. I then cut to shape. I use silver dressings for the first 24-48 hours until wounds scab over then switch to standard dressings. I haven’t found non-adhesive silver dressings (yet) so just cut the silver pad out the middle away from the adhesive. Don’t use silver dressings with Lucaa+ spray as the dressings are antimicrobial.

Vet Wrap

I use vet wrap to attach the dressings and keep wounds clean. I’m lucky in that Sally doesn’t chew vet wrap, so bandaging with it stops her turning small scratches on her legs (which she gets regularly from running through gorse/brambles) into hot spots.

Other Things We Use –

  • Coconut oil – for sore paw pads, to prevent snowballs in the snow. To cover sore skin before water immersion.
  • Charcoal Tablets/Biscuits – heavy duty detoxify the gut. For use after I’ve caught her snacking on really really whiffy dead crabs or dead seagulls. I prefer tablets but these are hard to find so doggie charcoal biscuits (Betty Millar do wheat-free ones) are the next best thing.
  • Proflax TummyTastic and Dorwest Tree Bark Powder – My next step after green clay if she’s got a tummy upset that goes on to a second day.
  • Adaptil and Dorwest Valerian and Scullcap Tincture – calms if fireworks or thunderstorms
  • Apple cider vinegar – coat freshener after fox poo/dead seal rolling incidents, also mildly antimicrobial and anti-midge/tick deterrent.
  • Teef or Plaque-Off – Dental health additives, I alternate between the two.
  • Golden Paste – For when she’s been injured to aid muscle/joint recovery. I add a teaspoon per day until I’ve used up the packet.
  • Homemade bone broth – see my recipe here. All round multi-nutrient and pick-me-up if she’s feeling poorly
  • Stewed pumpkin – I keep boxes in the freezer in case she has a stomach upset. If so she’s on light meals of stewed pumpkin, cooked white fish and bone broth for 2-3 days.
  • Kefir – I use this for probiotics. She gets a tablespoon a couple of times a week, I up it to a tablespoon every day if she’s had an upset stomach.

That’s our list of must-haves. I hope you found them useful. They are enough to fix minor injuries, and buy us time to get to the vet for larger problems. What’s your doggie first aid must haves? Do you have any others not listed here? If in doubt if you can treat at home ALWAYS seek veterinary advice.

Note – I have not been paid to include any product on this list. Links are not affiliate links so I don’t gain if you purchase items. Always consult your vet before starting any new treatment. Discontinue use immediately if you see any side-effects from any of these products.

First Signs of Spring? So Happy It’s Snowdrop Season

First Signs of Spring? So Happy It’s Snowdrop Season

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Wild Walks With Fluffy Wolf

Sally in a local graveyard looking for squirrels and completely ignoring the snowdrops

There are two things I look forward to in February – sunsets later than 5pm bringing an end to the darkest days of winter, and the first signs of spring. For me, the first sign I consider an actual sign (and not just a confused garden plant that hasn’t looked at a calendar) is the snowdrops popping up. To me these wee white flowers mean spring is (finally) on the way. I’ve been taking Sally walks round a local cemetery where in the last fortnight many clumps of these small white flowers have appeared as if out of nowhere. Snowdrop season has well and truly arrived.

It seems that I’m not the only one to enjoy snowdrops. These small white bell flowers have fascinated humans for centuries. Maybe because they are the first obvious spring flower that we’ll spot every year? Maybe because they are so delicate and tiny and yet so hardy, able to continue flowering even if covered in snow and ice? Maybe because they are a source of potent natural pharmaceutical compounds? There’s more to these little flowers than first meets the eye…

What are Snowdrops?

Snowdrops in the graveyard, Edinburgh week beginning 14th February 2022

Snowdrops are a genus (family) of about 20 flower bulb species thought to have originated around the eastern Mediterranean. The species most often found as a garden plant in the UK is Galanthus nivalis L. 1753 and there are over 2000 different varieties of it with more created and named each year. Most are small flowers (1-2 cm across, on stems 10-20 cm high). Snowdrops are non-native to the British Isles: either they arrived with the Romans, or they were brought here by later traders or settlers. The first written account of them in the UK is from 1597 and they were first recorded in the wild (in the English counties of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire) in 1778.

They were given their scientific name by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1753. He seemed to consider them a well-known plant, so they must have been well established in northern Europe by the 1700s. His name for them “Galanthus nivalis” means “milk flower of the snow”.

How Did Snowdrops Come to Scotland?

No one knows if snowdrops were brought to the UK and the north of Europe intentionally, or if the small bulbs were stow-aways in earth around the roots of another plant. It was probably intentional and due to their supposed medicinal properties. The bulbs and stems were traditionally used as a cure for headaches, menstrual cramps, and as an abortifacient. – Please don’t try any of these uses at home – snowdrops are very poisonous if eaten. In order to protect from grazing (fresh green growth so early in the year would be a tempting snack for just about every animal), the bulbs, stems and flowers are packed with a cocktail of toxic plant alkaloids – some of which are now being investigated as treatments for Alzheimer’s, cancers, and HIV suppression as well as showing antifungal and antibacterial properties (Kong et al. 2021 is a fascinating paper listing the ethnopharmacology of the snowdrop and current medical trials).

Significance & Symbology

Snowdrops flowering by the spring festival of Imbolc (1st-2nd Feb), St Brigid’s Day (1st Feb) and Candlemass (2nd Feb) led to their association with new life/the beginning of spring in the Celtic and early Christian traditions in the UK. I’ve found their flowering start times in central Scotland to be erratic, but certainly by February I’ll have seen a few. By mid-late February the flowers are widespread.

Good places to spot them are not in “wild” woodland or pasture but in older gardens. In the Victorian “language of flowers” snowdrops symbolised hope, purity, death, rebirth, and sympathy. It was considered unlucky to see a single snowdrop or to bring the blooms inside the house, but the flowers were a garden favourite, often planted as a memorial. It’s legal to pick snowdrop flowers (if not in a nature reserve or otherwise protected area) but it’s illegal to uproot or disturb the bulbs. They are best left alone and enjoyed where they grow – outside in the cold.

Spotting Snowdrops

Snowdrop wood

Many National Trust and private gardens have “snowdrop festivals” starting around now in mid-February, as most are dog friendly to onleash dogs (check before visiting) it’s a good way to see the flowers. Cambo in Fife holds the National Snowdrop Collection and is dog friendly. It’s also worth checking out areas that have been gardens of older houses, and around graveyards and churches as many of these will have snowdrops. My favourite secret snowdrops around Edinburgh are at Cammo and at Cramond and under a small copse of old beech trees in East Lothian, I’m not going to put the exact locations online but if anyone *really* wants to know then send me a message.

How to Grow

If you plan to buy snowdrops then the bulbs are best transplanted “in the green” shortly after flowering. Gardening catalogues or any garden holding a snowdrop festival will sell you bunches or potted bulbs. It’s best to buy from a garden you’ve visited as then you know your bulbs weren’t harvested from the wild, plus you have a memento of your visit. The bulbs will be expensive (at least several pounds a stem up to many hundreds or even thousands of pounds for rare varieties). They are costly because they are mostly propagated by letting the bulbs naturally split and double and this is a slow process with new bulbs needing 3-4 years to reach flowering size. Snowdrops can be grown from seed (in warmer springs, the flowers are pollinated by the first early queen bees emerging from winter hibernation) and the seeds would naturally be dispersed by ants. It takes at least 7 years for a snowdrop seedling to be large enough to flower. Once acquired, snowdrops are hardy (the bulbs don’t like to dry out, so water occasionally over the summer) and need little maintenance. They’ll happily grow in a flower border or in a pot in most soil types. There’s no need to do any pruning or tidy up. Simply let the leaves and flowers die back naturally and they’ll be ready to flower again next spring.

As the snowdrops are finishing get ready to spot the next spring flowers. Crocuses, early daffodils, flowering currant, viburnum, primulas, some early prunus species, witch hazel and forsythia are all beginning to come into bloom so keep an eye out! Have the snowdrops near you started/finished their flowering yet?

The first signs of spring? Hopefully warmer and longer days are coming soon.

About the Wild Walks Blog Series

During the first UK total lockdown from March 2020, Sally and I went for long walks while we waited for the world to heal. I started filming one walk per week and posting online as “Wednesday Walks”, as people locked down in cities, and people far from Scotland were asking me to show them our surroundings.

Surprisingly to me (since my Instagram is supposedly focused around Sally), the big attraction wasn’t Sally herself but the landscape, and the little things. I was asked for the names of flowers, the bird calling in the background, the rock types of the bright pebbles in the stream, for the history of the cottage I walked past, the families on the gravestones in the kirkyard? Since lockdown ending, I’ve mostly stopped filming as I often walk Sally alone, so I’m uncomfortable giving out exact location details. Instead I’ve decided I’m going to do a nature walk photo essay blog series. I’ll try to put up a post once a week/fortnight focusing on something I’ve seen on our walks and showing and telling you about it. I hope you enjoy these little glimpses into the world of the fluffy wolf. Please enjoy the natural world around you, look for the hidden beauty and wonder, leave only footprints and take only photographs, love Claire and Sally xx
Really Easy Cheat’s Homemade Bone Broth for Dogs

Really Easy Cheat’s Homemade Bone Broth for Dogs

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For the folks in a hurry for the recipe who just want the instructions without it’s life history, you’re in luck. Recipe first then I’ll tell the story!

Recipe:

  • 500-1000g of raw or cooked meaty bones. Ideally this includes 6-8 chicken or duck feet or a deer hoof or a pigs trotter
  • 150 ml of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
  • teaspoon/small bunch each of any dog-safe herbs or spices (curly parsley, ginger, turmeric etc)
  • large soup pot (4-6 litre) to boil in
  • water to fill the pot (4-5 litres)

Method:

  • add the bones, herbs (if using), vinegar and water to the pot
  • bring to the boil and boil vigorously for 30 minutes
  • turn down and simmer for another 2-4 hours, until liquid has reduced to 1/4 or less of the original volume
  • sieve the broth and *discard* the bones
  • pour the broth into sterilized glass jars (previously in oven at 120C for 30 mins, or washed out with boiling water). You should get 500-800ml (2 medium jars)
  • let cool (scrape off the ontop fat layer before use) – keeps in fridge for 1 week or freeze in silicon moulds/icecube trays and store in the freezer for up to 6 months
  • You can dilute 1:1 with water, kefir, or pureed fruit or veg to make frozen shapes

That’s it! Really easy-peasy bone broth.

How I Came to Make Bone Broth

Every raw feeder and/or anyone with an interest in dog nutrition will stumble across bone broth sooner or later. It’s ubiquitous in Instagram #rawfeedinginspo bowl photos, where its normally presented in the form of cute wee paw shapes. I suspect the Instagram love of bone broth has a lot to do with the cute factor, but don’t let that that deter you. It’s an amazingly nutritious food supplement for dogs (and cats) and indeed for humans too!

What is Bone Broth?

“Bone broth is a liquid gel, extracted from selected bone and connective tissue that contains natural proteins and minerals that are not always associated with your pets diet.

Helping your pet overcome food Intolerances & Allergies.

Help with Improving the joint health & regeneration of Cartilage.

Helping dogs with arthritis, joint pain and hip dysplasia

Supports the immune system & helps with sick & recovering pets.

 Supporting the bone structure of growing pups & kittens.

As a maintenance plan to aid dogs over 4 years old or known to suffer from future arthritic problems.”

Source: Alexander’s Natural Bone Broth/The Natural Vet website https://www.thenaturalvet.co.uk/products/alexanders-natural-bone-broth-paws accessed 28-01-2022

What’s In It?

I’ve yet to find a commercial bone broth that actually lists the amounts of calcium, glucosamine, chondroitin, collagen, trace minerals, vitamins etc it contains (that good old “natural product, batches may vary”) I guess? However, it’s bound to be nutritious stuff, as it’s got all the nutrients from the bone marrow, the bones, the cartilage in the joints, and the connective tissue around the bones. As it’s all natural “boiled off” the bones the nutrients will be more readily assimilated, “bioavailable”, to our pets than synthetic tablets (for joint supplements etc).

Why Should I Feed Bone Broth?

Bone broth is a tasty way to get liquids into a poorly dog, a great way to keep (fluffy) dogs hydrated in the summer, a tasty way to tempt fussy dogs to eat, and a low fat filler for greedy dogs! It’s probably wonderful for maintaining their joint health and for helping with tissue repair after injury. It’s an easily digestible and nutritious add-on to any diet type (kibble, wet food, cooked, or raw) and because you can choose the bone varieties used, you can tailor it to avoid triggering allergies or intolerances. I feed Sally a couple of frozen shapes at a time, or use 2-3 tablespoons of the jelly poured over her meal.

It’s also frighteningly expensive to buy. Typically RRP £3-4 for a pack of a few wee paw shapes or £7-10 for 300-500ml. Why? Because the purists will tell you the bones should be simmered for days to extract all the nutrients. Long boiling times of up to 72 hours are normal for commercial recipes. For home cooks Dogs Naturally suggest 24 hours (in a slowcooker crockpot) and this is about the quickest of the online recipes I’ve found, most are of the opinion that longer boil time=better.

I don’t have a slow cooker (or an Aga, or want to leave my electric oven on at 120C for 4 days – all methods to be found online). I have an ordinary domestic kitchen with the usual kitchen utensils, but I wanted to try making bone broth.

My First Attempt

So what I had was a big soup pot. One evening I put everything in it and turned it onto boil. It had about 3 hours boiling time when I turned it off at midnight (as I was scared to leave the gas running overnight). It had also reduced to about 1/4 of the original volume. Imagine my amazement the next morning when I came to turn the pot back on (I’d assumed I’d need to keep going for 24 hours boil time) to find in the cold kitchen, the nascent broth had turned into a solid jelly! I’d made bone broth. And not just any bone broth, but the holy grail of home-made bone broth: a solid translucent wobbly jelly! No need to boil it for days! – Note your broth will only be a jelly at low temperatures, it will turn back to liquid if warmed, to set it, store in the fridge overnight.

There was a bit of beginners luck at work here. My next effort (chicken wings not feet) remained a liquid broth after a 4 hour boil. That’s how I learnt that for a jelly you need feet (because all the bone-joints are where the cartilage/collagen is to be found that sets the broth) and the more the better! I assume there is some trade-off with shorter boil time: my “cheats broth” won’t be as nutritious per ml as the ones boiled for longer. But as it’s so much quicker and easier to make, and as you can’t really overfeed it, I can compensate by giving her a more generous portion. Don’t worry if your broth doesn’t set. It’s still very nutritious!

Acid

The apple cider vinegar or lemon juice is essential, without the acid the bones don’t leach minerals as easily. The acid will cause any charged proteins to change shape at a molecular level, and this will aid to pull the meat away from the bones. You need the acid (it doesn’t set if you forget it). I’ve found 150ml is the minimum for a 6 litre pot. I tend to put in around 150-200ml.

Herbs & Spices

Do you like the smell of cooking meat? As someone who’s mostly veggie, I don’t. So for me herbs and spices are a way to mask the cooking smells.

I often use root ginger (1-2 cm piece grated), turmeric and black pepper (teaspoon of turmeric, quarter teaspoon of black pepper), and curly leaved parsley. I’ve found that turmeric and parsley seem to be best at making the kitchen smell more pleasant!

Some people add garlic, I don’t, as I suspect even at low supposedly safe dosages, it may cause slight levels of red blood cell lysis in Sally. If using then add 2-5 cloves (not the whole bulb, just the cloves, of crushed garlic). Chia seeds are the trendy super food de jour (also high in protein and omega acids) so these make an appearance in some commercial broths. There’s no reason not to add them to yours if you feel so inclined. You can also make a plain broth without any herbs or spices.

Should I Pre-Roast?

You’ll see some recipes tell you to pre-roast the bones in the oven to dry them out before boiling (as apparently this makes the nutrients leach into the broth faster). I tried this once, I saw no discernible difference, and there’s always the issue of meat proteins forming carcinogenic compounds if burnt while roasting, so I don’t bother with this step. However, if you are a meat eater you can use the bones scavenged from roasted meat dishes such as a roast chicken or a Sunday roast.

Those *Discarded* Bones

You can boil them up again and get another batch (store the cooled preboiled bones in the freezer if you don’t want to boil them again immediately). There’s enough nutrients left after one boiling to do another (if you can be bothered). It will still set the second time around. I’ve done this once, because I heard it was possible, and in the spirit of experimentation I had to try. However, I generally discard the bones after one go. I just feel I’ve probably got the best of the vitamins, enzymes and soluble proteins (all likely to be heat liable) the first time around. When finally throwing out the bones keep them away from pets and garden wildlife such as foxes. Cooked bones can be a dangerous choking hazard as they are brittle and will splinter if chewed.

Additional Recipes

  • I mostly dilute my jar(s) of set jelly 1:1 with water (to be able to pour it into the moulds for frozen shapes).
  • Mix it 1:1 with kefir and make frozen shapes.
  • Mix in any dog-safe chopped fresh fruit or veg.
  • I make cooked veg stew (pumpkin or leafy greens) by adding a generous scoop of the bone broth to boiling veg. Sally isn’t fond of veggies but will eat them if boiled in bone broth!

Where to Buy Bones:

Supermarket, local butchers, dog food suppliers, Asian food supermarkets (this latter normally stock poultry feet). You can use any mix of raw, cooked (the bones from your Sunday roast etc) or dried bones (sometimes sold as dog treats). As you want to extract the optimum nutrition, and you don’t want any nasties, I personally think it’s worth paying the premium for local and/or organic meat so I’d recommend asking at a butcher (if you are lucky enough to have a good one nearby) or buying organic from a dog food supplier.

Where to Buy Bone Broth

If you’d now like to give bone broth a try, but don’t want the hassle of boiling broth for 3-4 hours, then yes, you can buy ready-made. Take a look at Stefs Pet Pantry who tend to keep a selection in stock, or if your local pet store has a raw freezer, then ask if they also sell bone broth.

Can I Eat it?

Yes, if your broth is made from food-grade meat bones then it’s suitable for people too. It’s going to taste very bland to a human palate due to the lack of salt. You’ll probably want to season yours. Beware feeding any bone broth bought as human food supplement to a dog, as it likely contains added salt. Check the ingredients first!

Are you ready to try making your own bone broth? Any questions give me a shout, and please let me know how it turns out!

Finding Footprints – How to Spot the Hidden Wildlife On Your Walks

Finding Footprints – How to Spot the Hidden Wildlife On Your Walks

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Wild Walks

During the first UK total lockdown from March 2020, Sally and I went for long walks while we waited for the world to heal. I started filming one walk per week and posting online as “Wednesday Walks”, as people locked down in cities, and people far from Scotland were asking me to show them our surroundings.

Surprisingly to me (since my Instagram is supposedly focused around Sally), the big attraction wasn’t Sally herself but the landscape, and the little things. I was asked for the names of flowers, the bird calling in the background, the rock types of the bright pebbles in the stream, for the history of the cottage I walked past, the families on the gravestones in the kirkyard? Since lockdown ending, I’ve mostly stopped filming as I often walk Sally alone, so I’m uncomfortable giving out exact location details. I’ve decided instead, I’m going to do a nature walk photo essay blog series here. I’ll try to put up a post once a week/fortnight focusing on something I’ve seen on our walks and showing and telling you about it. I hope you enjoy these little glimpses into the world of the fluffy wolf.

Snow captures all the footprints

Leave Only Footprints, Take Only Photographs…

How About Take Only Photographs of Footprints?

Telling a story about snow, in the hope we get another snowfall before winter is over, because that would make the fluffy one VERY happy.

I was walking in the last remaining patches of snow with Sally a couple of weeks ago and it was completely quiet. We had the whole place to ourselves, and as it was late afternoon even the birds were mostly silent as they were tucked up for the night. I’d have thought we were the only living creatures to have ever been that way, except the path was covered in footprints both human and animal. Also, since this last snowfall I found rabbit prints in the garden in an area where I didn’t know we had rabbits, the large stag’s footprints much closer to the house than I’d expect him to come (I guess that’s this year’s crop of snowdrops about to get eaten too), and smaller dainty deer prints further up the hill – do we have roe deer? I didn’t think so but maybe we do… I’m now a wee bit obsessed with looking for tracks to find out who shares my walking routes. So I really hope there’s more snow soon!

Not only is snow a beautiful background canvas for your photos, but every wild creature will have left their mark in that blank canvas. Ever wondered why your dog always sniffs round a particular bush? Now the pheasant tracks give the game away.

I’ve found that the best time to go looking for prints isn’t immediately after fresh snowfall, but the next day. Give it time for all the nocturnal creatures to have left their marks. Yes, the prints will sometimes be starting to melt away, but other times the frost will have baked in every detail.

Have a look next time you are out walking after snow. What wild animals share your local areas?

On Sally’s walk we found numerous bird tracks, deer hoof marks and rabbit paw prints along the path.

Some Top Tips For Finding Tracks –

Look around bushes and trees as many smaller animals and birds like to be next to shelter

At night the larger creatures such as deer and foxes often use the main trails so check the path. There could be animal tracks as well as human footprints.

Beside water is a good bet because although the animals can use the snow for hydration, many seem to prefer flowing water if there’s still some available.

Take photos and use your boot for size comparison if you need something for scale.

Look up the species later, most old school ID guides have a drawing of the tracks, and online guides use either drawings or photographs.

Be aware that if the prints have melted and refrozen several times they will have increased in size. You most probably don’t have giant deer, direwolves or yeti (in welly boots) living nearby, just that the freeze-thaw cycling has stretched the prints! Or maybe you do, you never know… Happy hunting!
Not An Influencer, Aiming to Be A Good Influence?

Not An Influencer, Aiming to Be A Good Influence?

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It’s not enough for me to be a content (media) creator, I also need to feel I’m a content (happy) creator.

My new year resolution was to blog more. I made this website so I could use it. If you read my earlier posts/follow Sally on Instagram @scotlandwithfluffywolf you’ll know that over the last year I’ve more or less abandoned this blog. Why? I had plenty I wanted to say, but I wasn’t sure if I should go ahead and say it. This is what happened…

The TLDR version is that I got fed up being asked to do ads for *really* random stuff and then being told I was a loser when I refused, for the full version see below…

I’ll walk my own path #lifelessonsfromthedog

Once Upon a Time…

It’s probably easiest if I tell the story from the beginning. So, let’s start there. Six years ago, I got a puppy, another year down the line (to keep work and social spaces separate) I made an Instagram for her puppy photos. It got reasonably popular. I kept getting asked “when are you making a website/blog?” as this seems to be the next step you are expected to take as a “content creator”. So, I dipped a toe (or should that be a paw?) in the water. Partly for my own curiosity to learn how to build a website, partly to have somewhere that’s independent of the big social media networks in case they ever go down or disable my accounts, and because I was tipped off that I should buy my domain name ASAP (I’d had threats from a blogger who viewed me as competition – I’m not and never will be for reasons we’ll come to, but there you go). I was warned to buy the domain before it was unavailable…

I Made a Blog

Then since I had the URL, it seemed silly not to use it…

I wrote a few articles about things that I wished I’d been able to find information on when I was a clueless new puppy owner. I didn’t have a clear plan for what I wanted this site to be, what type of articles I wanted to write. I had some well-meaning blogger acquaintances try to push me in the direction of having a gameplan to monetise the site, with affiliate marketing, optimising SEO, scheduling posts, backlinking to other sites, guestblogging, and all the other things fulltime bloggers must do to make a living from their writing. I felt, for me, these were premature considerations, as I was just beginning to find my feet and voice online, maybe later, but now’s not the time.

Brands Found Me

I had a look around and saw that most “dog blog” people seem to do dog-friendly travel blogs (often as a result of #gifted stays on the understanding that they’ll blog about it) and reviews of (usually #gifted) human and dog clothing and accessories. I suspected this wasn’t the direction I wanted to take for reasons I’ll come to. However, I digress, back to the story: writing anything at all, having a blog no matter how embryonic, just having that domain name, seemed to put me on the map as an “Influencer” to the powers that be, and in consequence I quickly got asked for “partnerships” and “collabs”.

It was very flattering to be asked, but I knew for my own dignity I had to approach ads with caution. I’m still learning to find that balance where I can both gain and provide value. I’ve been mostly lucky as some amazing brands have treated me and my followers with respect. There have also been a few times when I’ve been left feeling used, and worse, feeling that I’ve duped my followers. To me this was all wrong. Partnership should be that – the brand should get media they can reuse and positive online exposure, the blogger should receive payment or free goods or services, their readers and followers gain content they enjoy and information about goods/experiences that will be of interest to them. Everyone must be a winner otherwise it’s not “collaboration”, it’s exploitation.

Find your own sense of style and who you are #lifelessonsfromthedog

Play By The “Rules”?

I didn’t want to play by the (unwritten) rules of the “Influencer Game” – it seems in the Dog Influencer world you must either capitalise and seek to monetise your pet’s struggles, be it reactivity, rescue, recovery etc, or else everything must be cutesy-cute viewed through fluffy rose-tinted spectacles. Do you want misery or an escapist fantasy (or both)? Because those are your choices.

Then, there’s social cachet to be gained by promoting conspicuous consumerism. You “need” to run ads or you aren’t considered as influential as those who do advertise. Ads become the endorsement of you as a social presence. There are specific brands that are virtually unknown outside of social media, but within that social bubble, everyone who’s anyone seems to be on the bandwagon. I won’t be peer pressured, and I don’t want to add to the pressure (that I have at times felt) that you are a failure unless you have these items (ideally as #gifted to boot). It’s cliquey and petty and I’ve lost supposed friends because I won’t join them.  

I’ve tried to stick to my principles. To say “thank you but no thank you” as politely as I could (I’ve learnt the hard way I get rude kickback then blocked if I give reasons why I’m declining; brands aren’t used to anyone saying no). Lately I’ve just been saying “no thanks” with no explanation.

Silence Was My Defense

I let the blog go silent for a wee bit in the hope I’d drop off the brand partnership radar as it seemed to be “The Blog” that was bringing them my way. But I’ve had enough of that. I enjoy writing (even if no one reads it), so I’m going to take back what is mine anyway and use this space again.

I Choose Not to Conform

Let me say it now and say it loud and clear. I don’t want to be “An Influencer”. Firstly, it’s crazily hard work to do it well, to make media that makes people aspire to want the things you promote without seeming to be pushing a hard sell, and I have nothing but respect for those who manage it. But it’s not for me.

Appearance is Everything

Second, I don’t want to constantly appear in my photos, and as a woman, to make money online this seems to a requirement. You aren’t “trusted” unless you frequently appear on your feed, plus if you can dress provocatively or forget to dress, then this will up your value! I refuse to take part because I don’t want to add to the culture that your worth is tied up in your physical attractiveness. I know I could play along if I tried, but I won’t try. Not to put too fine a point on it, sex sells, cuteness sells. Woman with cute dog ticks all their boxes meaning “dog blogs” are popular with advertisers (that and the fact we don’t expect/know/are willing to stand up for our rights, so can be paid half of what a lifestyle or travel blogger would receive for the same commission).

Before Sally, I was a nature/landscape photographer. Now I use Sally as my avatar within the photo’s reality – because she’s a little fluffy wolf that transcends gender, ethnicity, religious affiliation, physical fitness or body type. She’s equally enticing to anyone viewing. She’s the hook that draws you in to the image. She invites you to explore her world and share in her sense of simple child-like wonder and joy in living. Therefore, my absence from her feed makes it more inclusive. Weirdly though, her Grandpaw features occasionally because people do seem to like seeing Sally interact with someone, and an older father/grandfather figure seems to have a resonance with many people. I haven’t really worked out why, but maybe because of this, Grandpaw photos are incredibly popular (shh don’t tell him I said that, he’ll expect an appearance fee now).

For me, there’s another wrinkle. I expect this will seem weird to most people, but to me it seems wrong to profit from my dog: she’s a dog – she can’t give consent to her online presence being used to support or promote x or y. But at the same time, I know I’m being hypocritical, as I’m more than happy to feature her if it’s to showcase brands we actually use. Anytime I’m asked to collaborate by a company where we are already customers, I’ll pretty much always accept. I don’t feel at this stage in my life online, and because Sally can’t give her consent, that any monetary payment made because of her image(s) is mine to keep, so I donate to dog or environmental charities. Out of respect for fulltime bloggers I won’t work for free. Content creation takes skill, time, and effort; so I do expect payment or payment in kind.

If from the beginning it was myself rather than my dog that was the subject of my social media, I expect I’d feel differently about profiting from it. I’ve seen many “dog blogs” refocus to be “dog and lifestyle/fashion” or “dog friendly travel” then simply “lifestyle/fashion with an occasional appearance by the dog” or “travel blogger that sometimes takes the dog along” as people wrestle with these considerations and find a solution that works for them. Also, there’s the very real fact that no pet lives forever, and one day we will be forced to find an online voice that can live on after our pet crosses the rainbow bridge. As I said earlier, treated as a job and done well “Influencer” is hard work, and I don’t have the energy or inclination to constantly travel (especially now in this crazy pandemic world), or the want to appear myself on camera to pivot into these woman-with-dog-as-occasional-sidekick niches.

Promote Sustainability not Consumerism

In addition, I’m conscious how selfish and especially environmentally selfish having a dog is. To have this furry consumer who’s dependent on me for her wellbeing. I know she’s an ecological walking disaster (from the mouse murdering to the 400g of quality meat consumed per day and the everything in-between). To compensate, I try to reduce my environmental footprint wherever I can. To promote non-sustainable consumerism just to fill webspace and for the prestige of being “A Content Creator” is not something that will make me a contented creator.

So, I’ve Been Silent:

It’s taken me a while to make sense even in my own mind of how I felt, and longer to be able to write it down. I’ve been trying to work out what I want for this blog if it’s not to be the typical “this is a dog friendly trip to xyz” or “hey check out my review of this amazing #gifted thingymejig”. I can’t promise that I won’t ever not write a travel piece, or I won’t review items, but that’s not going to be the focus, instead expect some more of my ramblings about life with Sally.

What Right Do I Have?

Lastly, what right do I have to say anything? What qualifications do I have that make me good enough to be able or to be allowed to put my thoughts in writing? If I’m honest this has been holding me back as much as anything else. The self-doubt, the feeling I have no right to say that. Then, I look around and I see plenty of people who’ve first come to prominence on their social media now using their fame to promote (and ofttimes sell) their views on (dog)food, training, exercise, travel, lifestyle etc. For in our celebrity obsessed culture, you seem to gain validity with follower count. They give themselves the right to speak out regardless of real world qualifications. All it takes is the confidence to put yourself out there.

This troubles me, for although there are some fantastic self-published websites that have become authoritative in their chosen field, there are others that are plainly vanity projects. The best that can be said is that they are well intended; at worst, plain crazy, quasi-science or pseudoscience that masquerades as fact. I don’t want to add to their number.

So, who I’m I? What authority do I have to speak on anything? I’m not a vet, I’m not a behaviourist, I’m not a nutritionist, I’m not a lot of other “-ists”. But what I am is a SCIENTIST. Someone trained for over 10 years of study in critical thinking. To be able to take information from different sources and evaluate it’s worth. If I write about a topic, I will have first researched it in detail, and/or I’ll say what I both know and don’t know. I’ll link my sources so you can go read them and draw your own conclusions.

To Be a Good Influence

So that’s why I’m not doing the typical “dog blog reviews X”, not because I’m not good enough (despite what my self-doubt and self-criticism might sometimes try to tell me) but because I CHOOSE not to. Because I’m not aspiring to be An Influencer, but I am aiming to be A Good Influence and that must be Good Enough.

With love and fluffy hugs and until the next installment,

Claire & Sally.

Thank you for reading, until next time. XX
Life with a Firework Phobic Samoyed Ain’t Easy

Life with a Firework Phobic Samoyed Ain’t Easy

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The Story of the Scaredy-Wolf Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Bangs…

Updated November 2021

“Remember, remember the 5th of November”, or so goes the rhyme. No one (and that includes us) with a firework-reactive dog is ever likely to forget. The first fireworks of bonfire-season went off near us recently and Sally went back to hiding in the (empty) bath – it’s a cold, enclosed, small space so it makes her feel safe.

Sally is firework phobic and has been since a fear period after her second season coincided with the Edinburgh Festival. She was exposed to the Tattoo and then the end of Festival fireworks at a time her hormones made her frightened of everything. Her phobia has expanded to include shotgun shots (there’s often deer and grouse shooting near Grandpaw’s house), the birdscarer guns used to protect crops, motorcycle engine backfires and any sudden sharp loud noise.

It severely impacts our quality of life. There are places we can’t walk at certain times of year, walks have to done in daylight around Bonfire Night, and no one in our house celebrates New Year as we have to stay home and comfort the dog! She’s on the leash more around firework season to protect her from bolting off and she wears a GPS tracker everytime she leaves the house. In the evenings we stay inside and all curtains are closed and I play the radio or TV to mask outside noises. So, needless to say, if there’s a remedy or treatment for noise-phobia we’ve tried it. We’ve found a few things that help, and a lot that have no effects whatsoever, and we’re still searching for that magic cure…

Remedies We’ve Tried

Spoiler for the TLDR folks:

Adaptil calming pheromone and high strength (tincture) valerian are the only two things that significantly ease Sally’s noise-phobia. We’ve tried just about every type of non-prescription “cure” on the market so I’m going to go through them systematically and give you our honest reviews.

Every dog is different so things that didn’t work for Sal might be the solution for your pet. If they are in severe distress then please talk to your vet who can prescribe tranquilizing medication (not to be taken long term but can see you through Bonfire Night or New Year etc).

Remedies that we’ve tried can be classed into:

  • Sound Desensitisation
  • Physical Comfort
  • Herbal Calming
  • Amino Acids
  • Pheromones

I’ll give you a rundown of what we’ve tried and whether it worked for us.

Physical comfort is important, make sure your pet has a cosy safe space during fireworks.

Why Are Dogs Scared of Fireworks?

First, why are some dogs so scared of fireworks? And just how widespread is this fear?

I did a quick survey on Sal’s Instagram Stories and found about 45% of respondents said yes, their dog was terrified. Adaptil claim up to 50% of pets show some fear of loud noises. But why? I couldn’t find any scientific studies that identify whether the trigger is the noise, the bright lights or the chemical smell. In Sally’s case, I think it’s the noise as she reacts similarly to motorcycle backfires and to shotgun blasts.

I always believed the snow dog story that it makes good evolutionary sense for some members of the pack to be scared and lead their pack away from loud sharp noises such as the cracking when an ice-sheet breaks. But then I had an interesting experience when there was forestry work up the glen and a tree was felled on the opposite hillside. The first sharp “snap” as it fell sounded like a loud gunshot and Sal was terrified. She immediately turned and tried to run for home. After this experience, I still think it’s an evolutionary adaptation, but I think it’s far more likely that she’s reacting to noises that sound like falling trees (a more likely hazard to all wolves/dogs than northern breed specific arctic ice breakup). I also think there’s higher frequency harmonics she can hear that are beyond our hearing and that aren’t recorded on tape. My reasoning is that I can play war movies (she’s happily snoozed through the whole of the Sharpe and Hornblower series) with cannon and gunshot and she doesn’t react, not even at deaf Grandpaw sound-up levels!

What Can We Do to Stop Our Dogs Being Scared?

1. Undiagnosed Pain

First of all look for undiagnosed pain. A ground-breaking study claimed a link between dogs reacting anxiously to loud noise and undiagnosed muscular or skeletal pain. Once put on a course of painkillers they were less reactive to noise. They claimed that when a dog with chronic pain tensed up in response to a scary noise, this caused additional hurt, setting up a negative feed-back loop that noise = hurt, which caused them to be fearful of noise as it caused them extra pain. So, if you have a dog who seems irrationally scared of fireworks, it might be worth booking them an appointment with your vet or vet physio to check for any underlying issues. Don’t give your dog over-the-counter medication, if your vet thinks your dog would benefit from painkillers, they will prescribe pet-safe drugs. Personally (after getting Little Miss Fluffy checked out by an excellent dog physio who found nothing wrong), I’m somewhat skeptical of the claims about untreated pain always/most likely being the cause. I do think that if you prescribe painkillers to a scared dog, you will see a reduction in anxiety – simply because drowsiness is a common side-effect of most painkillers. However, it’s a fair point that the fear *could* be the result of untreated pain, so I’d suggest a vet/physio trip to rule this out.

2. Sound Desensitisation

This is a really simple idea – play the scary sound at low (well below threshold to scare) volume and reward with their favourite treat/toy etc. The idea is to create a positive association with the sound. Start days/weeks before the fireworks are likely to occur and SLOWLY work the sound level up. The UK Dogs Trust produced a guide “Sounds Scary”, and audio tracks to play with the whoosh and bang noises of fireworks. We tried this last year. Sally lay mildly twitching her ears and showing no signs of distress while I cranked it up to full volume. Clearly for her what’s scary about real fireworks didn’t pass over onto the recording. Some vets and behavourists now advise against this method as it can cause more fear to an already terrified dog to expose them to the noise. For us this wasn’t an issue as Sal just didn’t react.

You can also find tracks of supposedly comforting classical music to play to drown out the noise. In the UK, Classic FM schedule an evening of relaxing music on Bonfire Night with the aim of helping scared pets. My personal view is that it doesn’t matter what you play, but turning up the radio/TV volume, and shutting the windows and curtains before the fireworks start are good ideas to drown out some of the noises from outdoors.

3. Physical Comfort

As I said at the start, one of the places Sal likes to go if she’s scared is the bath tub. It’s cold (always desirable with her fluffy coat), enclosed, and she feels safe there. Many animal behaviourists advise making a safe “fireworks den”, a small space (behind the sofa, a dog crate, under a table) and encouraging the dog to view this as their safe space (put their favourite toys/chews inside and generally make them comfortable). Leave them well alone in their den so they associate this place as somewhere safe where they will be undisturbed.

The next level in physical comfort is to use a “Thundershirt” or wrap. This is a tight-fitting wrap or jacket (you can make one from a scarf tied tightly, or you can buy a special tight jacket) which puts gentle pressure on the dog’s ribcage. Being tightly held makes the dog feel safer. It sounds crazy, but it does work for many dogs. I tried the DIY version on Sal last year with a long scarf. Compressing her fluff meant it lost it’s magic thermoregulation capabilities and she started stress panting due to overheating. This year we were gifted a Thundershirt from Adaptil to try out. She doesn’t seem particularly comfortable wearing it as she stress/overheating pants with it on, whether it helps her be less reactive to the bangs I’m not sure.

But, I have found that she’s less reactive to bangs on walks when she’s wearing a harness (with a tight belly strap) than when she’s just on a flat collar. So much so that during fireworks season I’ll walk her in her harness on walks where she would normally only be wearing a collar, as the “hug” from the harness seems to be sending her fluffy brain relaxing signals. Given our experiences, I do think a Thundershirt would be worthwhile on a shorter-haired dog.

4. Herbal Calming Aids

Valerian

There are many different herbs noted for their calming properties: lavender, chamomile, valerian, lemon balm, mistletoe etc. Of all of these, only valerian has been clinically proven in veterinary medicine to reduce brain activity associated with anxiety and increase the supply of “feel-good” GABA neurotransmitters in the brain.

In the UK, valerian tablets or tincture can be purchased from Dorwest Herbs or as a spray/plug-in from Pet Remedy (where it is mixed with a number of other (supposedly) calming herbal essential oils) or as a spray “Calm and Balmy” from Bella and Duke. I first tried the Pet Remedy spray two years ago as I felt that a spray was less intrusive than administering tablets, and it came highly recommended by the owner of another scaredy Samoyed. I saw absolutely no effect after three weeks of use during the sporadic fireworks in the run-up to Bonfire Night. I tried the Bella and Duke Calm and Balmy spray this springtime during birdscarer season but I’m not convinced that it had much positive effect on Sally.

Valerian tablets (Dorwest Scullcap and Valerian) also had no noticeable effect on her anxiety, but she seemed sleepier during the daytime (whether this was because of the meds, or because she was having disturbed sleep due to her anxiety I couldn’t say).

Next I tried the Dorwest alcoholic tincture. This had a noticeable effect within about half an hour of administering, she came out of hiding and wanted treats and attention again, she was still not happy and still ran to hide with each new bang, but we had time in-between where she wasn’t terrified. But again, the next day she was wiped out and only wanted to sleep. I honestly don’t know if this is a reaction to the drug, or a comedown from the heightened fear and adrenaline during the bangs. I now use Dorwest valerian tincture, but only for the actual night of Bonfire Night/New Year/during a thunderstorm. Based on our experience, I would suggest trying valerian, but start with a spray and see if this has any effect before progressing onto the tablets or tincture if required. Spray on a cloth or toy rather than directly on the dog to begin with so they can move away if they find the smell distressing.

I worry about the effects on her liver/kidneys from taking the tincture, because as a breed Samoyeds seem prone to drug side-effects. I suspect because they are an arctic breed that evolved in an area with almost constant access to fresh water (snow in the winter, meltwater in the summer), they may have poor kidney function compared to desert dwelling breeds, so may be inefficient at drug detoxing. This brings me onto the newest herbal cure-all, CBD oil, and why I haven’t tried it.

CBD Oil

You’ve probably heard of CBD oil, derived from hemp (cannabis) plants without the psychoactive compounds. It’s used in human patients for chronic pain management. One of the very many claims made for CBD oil is that it can cure anxiety. There are at present no published veterinary studies to prove this claim and in the UK there are no listed conditions for which vets may prescribe CBD oil. However, it is freely available to buy online and there are brands marketed for use with pets, there are even “hemp infused” dog treats on sale.

I haven’t tried it for Sally for two reasons: firstly, in humans, CBD oil can either help ease anxieties or in a small number of cases make them worse. I don’t think I could cope if Miss Fluffypaws became even more anxious… And secondly, more seriously, a veterinary study into CBD oil for managing arthritis pain in dogs found increased levels of liver enzymes after only 2-4 weeks, leading them to conclude that long-term use could possibly result in liver disease. As I suspect Sal’s Samoyed liver and kidneys are not the best able to cope with drug detoxifying, I’ve avoided the use of CBD oil. If you’ve used it, I’d be interested to hear about your experiences.

Bach Flower Rescue Remedy

A dilute tincture of various herbal extracts supposed to help ease anxiety. No effect on Sally, neither from the pet-specific (not in alcohol) or the standard preparation after a few weeks of usage. The dosages used are so low I feel this is a “safe” preparation to try. Sadly for us, it had no effect.

5. Amino Acids and Peptides

There are several brands of supplement that provide additional amino acids to increase the supply of GABA neurotransmitters, and the feel-good hormones dopamine and serotonin in the brain, which will allegedly help to reduce anxiety. One such example is YuCalm which contains the herb lemon balm which may increase GABA levels, the amino acid L-Theanine used as a precursor for serotonin and dopamine production, and fish protein hydrolysate which they claim also supports GABA and dopamine levels. It can take from a few days to up to 6 weeks to see an effect. I used one course of 60 day supply with Sal and saw no effect.

Another option is Zylkene, a peptide isolated from casein (milk protein). It supposedly has a calming effect as dogs have evolved to feel calm when (as puppies) their stomachs are full of milk, so this peptide has a role as a calming neurotransmittor. I tried a course (3 weeks) with Sally and saw no effect.

I suspect that for dogs on a limited diet of ultra-processed food, the extra boost from these tablets might help their brain activity, but for dogs such as Sally, fed a quality raw diet, the extra supplementation doesn’t amount to anything. There’s nothing in the tablets that can harm, and extra will simply be excreted, so it’s something that’s safe to try, but I’m not convinced it actually “works” (although the science behind them is sound, and they may help dogs on a restricted diet). This moves us on to the next “might work, can’t cause any harm” choice:

6. Calming pheromones

Mother dogs produce calming pheromones when nursing their pups. One is available to buy without a prescription from Ceva/Adaptil as a collar, a plug-in or a spray. Not all dogs will react to the Adaptil pheromone, but for those that do, it makes them less reactive to scary stimuli and more able to cope with life generally. It’s not possible to overdose, there’s a threshold dose needed for a reaction, more than this their brain simply ignores.

I first tried the collar (a plastic collar similar in appearance to a flea collar) as it seemed the best choice for Sal as the dog is supposed to wear it 24/7, so she would have it for reassurance in case we encountered noises on walks, and when she was home hiding from scary firework bangs.

At first, I thought I didn’t see much difference, but after three weeks I observed her starting to shy away as large lorries drove past, and jumping at small noises and I realised that I’d had three weeks of peace where she hadn’t jumped at little things (collars are supposed to be effective for up to a month, less if regularly submerged in water, and Sal had done a lot of sea and loch bathing). So, I bought a replacement collar. Within a day I noticed that she was calmer and more able to deal with scary noises. Birdscarer guns (we were now into the February planting season) were scary but she could cope and continue on her walk rather than turning and running for home every time one went off. When this second collar began to run out I saw her begin to get jumpy again, and it was at this point I realised just how much of a difference it had been making to her.

Then I bought the Adaptil travel spray (as this was into March and the main issue was birdscarer guns on walks, not fireworks at night) and sprayed her collar and a bandana before each walk. The spray is supposed to last least 3-4 hours, and there are 60-70 applications per spray bottle so this worked out more economical than the collars. Another consideration is that when pierced and washed out, the spray bottles are recyclable, the collars are not currently recycled.

I now use an Adaptil collar for Bonfire Night (starting a week or two beforehand as soon as the fireworks start) and another over New Year, but the rest of the time I use the spray on a bandana before walks. Adaptil doesn’t cure Sal’s anxiety, but it dials it down significantly. We’ve also tried the Plug-in and this also seems to add to Sally’s general resilience and ability to cope with bangs.

Happy Sal with her blanket sprayed with Adaptil.

And She Lived Happily Ever After?

These are our experiences with the main remedies being sold for pet anxiety. Nothing “cures” her fear, but valerian and Adaptil make her less terrified and more able to cope. If there’s a magic bullet cure, we’re still looking for it.

One final word – the remedies don’t work in isolation, I’ve found it just as important to try to project calm, to make a calming environment for Sal to hide in, and to prevent “trigger stacking” so she’s not exposed to the same scary stimuli again before she’s had time recover from her last fearful encounter. This means that if she’s had a bad night with fireworks, we might not go a walk the next day (as I can’t guarantee there won’t be bangs), but play games in the house/garden instead. She trusts me to look out for her, to get her out of trouble, and if I put her into scary situations I am breaking that trust. I’ve learnt not to coax “just a wee bit further Sal, it’s okay” when she’s scared, because then the next time, she will refuse to leave the house/car. Now if she wants to go home, we go home. She knows she can trust me, and this means she’s more willing to try a walk, even when she’s clearly scared. I’m proud of how far she’s come, but it’s still a long journey ahead.

I’d be interested to hear your stories, what remedies work for you? Can you pinpoint an event that made your dog scared, have they always been reactive, or are they one of the lucky ones that know no fear?

Note: I have bought and tried (following manufacturer’s guidelines) all the remedies discussed here after consultation with Sal’s vets. We have been gifted Adaptil products, a Thundershirt and Calm and Balmy. Please always consult your vet or a qualified animal behaviourist before medicating your dog. These are only our lived experiences, sample size one fluffy wolf, experiment duration five years and counting…

How Expensive is a Samoyed?

How Expensive is a Samoyed?

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Are Samoyeds expensive/aren’t Samoyeds expensive? I get asked this question or some variant of it about once a week, so I thought it was worth answering in detail for anyone considering a Samoyed (or indeed any other dog).

I get frequent puppy enquiries on Sal’s Instagram (please note: social media is NOT the place to go looking for a dog, instead you are best to contact your local and national breed clubs and rescues). After I tell them I’m not a breeder and Sally isn’t ever having puppies, the next questions invariably include “how much did you pay for Sally?”, and  “are Samoyeds expensive?”.

Puppy Prices

The answer is: it depends. While here in the UK most of the reputable breeders haven’t increased their prices as a result of COVID-19, there are few available puppies, and as rare-breed pedigree puppies, yes, they are expensive. Expect to pay £1000-2000 (depending on bloodlines and geographic area) for a KC-registered Samoyed puppy. This seems like a lot, until you factor in the health testing for the parents, the cost of those parents attending breed shows and/or working and agility dog meets to prove their suitability to pass on their genes, stud fees, puppy health checks, ultrasound, extra food for mum and babies, whelping box, puppy packs, KC registration, microchipping and first vaccinations, and all this before you consider loss of earnings for the breeder’s household as someone needs to stay home with mum and the young pups. The breeders I know are lucky if they break even on a litter. They are NOT breeding for the profits. The reputable rescues may ask for £300-500, while some that rescue from the Chinese and Korean meat-trade ask you to cover the astronomical flight cost if you can, so it can end up costing over £5000 (post-Covid flight prices have increased to ridiculous numbers) to rescue, meaning rescue is not always the cheaper route to Samoyed dog ownership.

Running Costs

The real issue is that the 1-2 grand you drop on a puppy/rescue is just the beginning. I’ve heard it said you should have 1-4 times this in reserve in a bank account as you are going to need it by the end of their first year. But it’s all a bit of a dark secret. People with dogs smile knowingly and say “yes they are expensive but they are worth it”. Maybe it’s an attempt to hide the true costs, or maybe they are too embarrassed/scared/shocked to find out. The PDSA tried to work out the cost, first in 2016, and they update every year, but they admit their numbers are an underestimate. They put the lifetime cost of a medium sized dog (such as a Samoyed) at a minimum of £13,000 and that’s not including the initial outlay on buying/adopting the dog.

I Made a Spreadsheet

I’m a scientist and I like facts and numbers. Before I got Sal I tried to make a budget spreadsheet to work out if I could afford a dog, and what her likely running costs would be, I admit I got it totally wrong. There’s some things (dog daycare, groomers) we’ve never really used and others (SALLY SNACKS!) where it’s so easy to go hopelessly over budget. Then there’s things I’m ashamed to say I never even thought about (dog first aid kit/toothpaste anyone?). Plus, there’s ongoing expenses like insurance that will increase year on year (it started at £120 a year, now at over £500 for lifetime insurance and we’ve only ever made one £150 claim) if you decide to insure your pet. Also there’s the one-off cost of spay/neuter should you choose to desex them.

Sally’s Running Costs

In an attempt to break through the veil of secrecy as to what a dog costs, I’m going to list Sal’s “running costs” for a year.  I found the puppy fee (£1000, this was 5 years ago) was only a quarter of the cost of our first year. It cost roughly the same again as I paid for my puppy to puppy-proof my house, and buy all the bits and pieces needed for walking, grooming and feeding. Then, my yearly running costs were twice that, over £2000, and that’s without a dog walker, daycare, or grooming fees as I do these myself. In short, this year so far, owning Sal comes in at approximately £6 a day!

Breakdown of the relative cost of the puppy price, start-up costs, and ongoing costs for the first year/one year of dog ownership. I found the saying that you need x4 the puppy price in the first year to be a surprisingly accurate estimate.

I’ve screenshot and I’ve linked my spreadsheet so as you can play with the input numbers and see what the likely cost of dog ownership would be for you. Remember every dog and everyone’s situation is different, so your costs won’t necessarily be the same as ours.

The nitty-gritty of what Sal costs to run. She’s worth every penny but the expenses add up. I include her food costs as if I was buying her complete minces, but she’s currently sponsored by Bella and Duke. Previously, I bought a range of brands (B&D foremost among them) and made use of special offers and bulk discounts to feed her for around £50 a month (not including snacks). After food, insurance is our other large expense, but many people choose instead to bank what they can each payday, and gamble it won’t be needed.

And Here’s That Spreadsheet…

Excel file below:

samoyed-yearly-costsDownload

Indirect Costs Not Included

These are only Sal’s direct costs. I haven’t counted indirect expenses such as new boots and waterproof jackets and outdoor clothing for me, or the petrol money, parking fees and bus tickets to take her for walks, nor the cost of repairs after her puppy hobby of home and garden redecoration. I also left out the (one-time) cost of neuter/spay as it isn’t applicable to everyone. Even so, hopefully these figures go some way towards answering the question: what does a Samoyed cost?. The answer to the more important question: what is a Samoyed worth?, is of course – priceless! She’s my fluffy wolf!

What do you think? Did the costs of dog ownership come as a surprise? Would the costs put you off getting a dog? As always, feel free to leave any questions, comments, or stories about your experiences. Remember you can come say hello on Sally’s Instagram too @scotlandwithfluffywolf. Looking forward to hearing from you!