The terrible neck wound of gentle Koukla (Greek for "doll")―another victim of the Invisible Fence

For two days, John and his wife, who live in Maryland, were in the emergency room with their infant daughter while a dogsitter watched their dogs, gentle Koukla and playful Spunky. The dogsitter, not being very well acquainted with the dogs, didn't notice how drastically Koukla's behavior was changing, so it continued all weekend: The dog stopped eating and refused to go outside. If she was made to go outside, she would do her business and then scratch to come right back in. Instead of playing with her pal Spunky, she would just lie down, completely withdrawn.

It was several days before anyone realized that her "invisible collar" was burning a ¼-inch hole into her neck. The accompanying photo shows exactly how much damage was done by this hideous torture device. She was wearing a "Texas" collar, made by Invisible Fence. As "invisible collars" go, this one has got to be the most horrendous. According to John, the prongs are extra long and they poke into the dog's sensitive flesh just behind the ears. Just imagine getting shocked there! And then imagine having that prong burrowing deeper and deeper into your flesh―and the pain as it was becoming infected. The technician who installed the fence told John to make sure that the collar was "extra tight." By the time the horror was discovered, the wound was giving off a putrid smell. Now, fully two weeks later, it's finally starting to heal.

But Koukla has been traumatized, and it will be a long time before her psychological wounds heal.

John and his wife love their dogs. They thought they were doing a great thing by getting an Invisible Fence―keeping their dogs safe and at home. The Invisible Fence people love for their customers to think that. If you go to their Web site, you will never see or hear the words "shock" or "pain" or "negative reinforcement" or "risks" or "danger" in connection with the collars. It's all sweetness and light―romping puppies and playful dogs who are all so carefree! The site talks about having "peace of mind," but just ask John how peaceful he and Koukla have been feeling lately. What a sham! The owner of the local Invisible Fence business that sold John his fence, upon hearing about Koukla's injury, said that he had seen this before. Clearly, this company has an ethics problem.

As I've written in the past, even without the malfunctions and the irritation of having two prongs poking into their necks all the time, dogs subjected to Invisible Fences can be significantly harmed psychologically, becoming anxious or aggressive, not infrequently associating the electric shocks from the fence with random passersby, like children, or even other members of the household. Dogs who are left unattended inside an Invisible Fence are easy prey to thieves and other cruel people as well as free-roaming dogs. And many dogs are willing to take the jolt of electricity in order to chase a squirrel or a cat down the street, which can then leave them stranded outside their yards, unable to get back in.

Dog training is like anything else―if you cut corners and try to take the easy way out, it either won't work or you're going to pay for it in some other way―usually via damage to your dog's well-being. It's not worth it. Either build a real fence, or don't get a dog in the first place. If I had my way, no one without a fenced-in yard would be allowed to have a dog, period.

And by the way, if you're already using an Invisible Fence on your dogs and it seems to be working out OK, don't think you're immune to heartbreak such as this. Koukla didn't get injured on her first day with the fence. That Invisible Fence had been up for a couple of months before it started damaging her neck. But you'd better believe that John has disabled it forever now. If he never sees another Invisible Fence again, it will be too soon―and Koukla couldn't agree more!

"The question is not, can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But can they suffer?" ―Jeremy Bentham

My very first act of animal activism took place in the Southeast Asian nation of Malaysia in the early '70s. I was an exchange student in my senior year. One day, I was out walking and I saw an old woman chasing a dog around her yard with a heavy stick attempting to beat the dog with it! I yelled, "Jangan pukul anjing!" which I believe meant (in Malay), "Don't beat the dog!" Then I opened the gate and let the dog run away! Today, I may have done things a little differently, but as a 16-year-old I didn't see any alternative.

I don't remember too much else about dogs in Malaysia, except that my host family had two of them, Hondo and Hector. But just today, I read an article from a Malaysian newspaper discussing the rising consumption of dog meat in the country in somewhat glowing terms. Apparently, eating dog meat has not been very popular in the past, but it's beginning to catch on because foreign construction workers from Vietnam and Indonesia are taking the custom with them to Malaysia. The workers are poor, so they supplement their diet with stray puppy meat, in the absence of any law against it.

The article goes on to interview someone with friends in the construction industry, who says, "To kill the dog, the worker whacks it at the muzzle which is said to be the weakest part of the animal." Lovely. And dog slaughter is even worse in South Korea, according to International Aid for Korean Animals.

I'm sure that 100 percent of the readers of this blog are repulsed and even angered by this topic. What kind of selfish, insensitive person could kill and enjoy eating a puppy? Dogs are "man's best friend," for goodness' sake! And they exhibit so many noble and exemplary traits, such as loyalty, unconditional love, forgiveness, courage, and beauty. They deserve to live a full life free of pain and suffering―I think we can all agree on that.

But what about all the other animals who get killed for food? Maybe we don't label them as companions or "pets," but that's so random―maybe we should! I know a woman with a chicken sanctuary, and every single one of her birds has a name and a personality. I know another woman who had a rescued companion cow named Chester for many years and dearly loved him. And once, a long time ago, I helped deliver three rescued pigs who had been starved nearly to death to a sanctuary where they would be able to live out the rest of their lives in peace and tranquility, and you'd better believe that those pigs had personalities plus!

Around the age of 11 or 12, I realized that all animals have feelings and that I didn't want to be responsible for their deaths, so I stopped eating them. I was fortunate enough to have read some children's books that promoted vegetarianism (The Forgotten Door, Charlotte's Web) and to be acquainted with two Indian families who didn't eat meat, so I was exposed to the idea that meat isn't essential at an early age. But the biggest reason why I stopped eating animals was because I could see clearly how similar they all are―to each other and to us.

Random animals I happen to see on TV or in movies or in the wild are always reminding me of my own dogs. The shape of their eyes, the curve of their forehead, the overall expression on their faces … if you pay attention, you will start to notice that all animals are like dogs. So we should treat them all in the same way that we think dogs should be treated. If we wouldn't eat a dog, we shouldn't eat any other animal either.

Wise, wistful, wonderful Rowdy

My sweet Rowdy has been going through hard times recently. In the three years since I adopted this sensitive 10-year-old angel, he's been a very picky eater at best. Yet when I knew him way back when, in 2002 (he belonged to a neighboring family but came over frequently to visit my lonely bereaved dog, Darby), he was a bonafide chowhound―would eat anything you put in front of him. So something had changed. I always suspected that he just really missed his first family, especially his "daddy." I fretted that no amount of walks and trips to the beach and TLC from me could make up for the household that he was pining for. I even tried to get his former daddy to come and visit him, but after one visit, he stopped coming. So life went on, and I did the best I could to make Rowdy happy and chase that sad look from his face.

Fast-forward three years to a month ago, and Rowdy stopped eating altogether. He also had some pretty nasty-looking stools. I took him to my local vet, who did a fecal and took an X-ray but nothing related to his lack of appetite and diarrhea showed up. They did see a humongous bladder stone, though. Next, we found ourselves in the exam room of a veterinary internal medicine specialist, who did numerous blood tests and an ultrasound, which uncovered a polyp in Rowdy's bladder, plus a "mottled" liver and a bacterial overgrowth in his intestines.

Normally, I try to use mostly holistic methods of treatment, but this scared me, so I went ahead and followed all the doctor's orders, which included giving him two antibiotics and vitamin B12 injections for several weeks. Rowdy started eating again but not really enough to sustain a 65-pound fairly active dog. He was losing weight and I was getting nervous, so eventually I agreed to a surgical biopsy of his intestines (since he had to be operated on to remove the stone and the polyp from his bladder anyway), even though I had very definite misgivings about it. While they were at it, they also removed a growth from his gums that he's had for a few years.

I'm still waiting for the biopsy results, but the surgeon did tell me that Rowdy's intestines looked normal. When I heard that, my misgivings about putting Rowdy through that biopsy grew. But I'll withhold my judgment until I get those results.

Anyway, Rowdy's discharge instructions caused my hair to stand on end: "Confine your pet to a single room and use a leash when taking outside―to urinate and defecate only for 4 weeks" and "Please keep an Elizabethan collar (E-collar) on your pet until the wounds have healed completely." They even made me bring an Elizabethan collar with me when I picked him up―otherwise, they would have charged me for one! I'm sorry, but I couldn't do those things to my Rowdy. They feel like punishment! If I had kept him in a single room, he would've died of heartbreak. If I had forced him to wear that hideous collar, he would've sunk into a deep depression (as would have I!).

Rowdy has been doing just fine without any of that. But one week after the surgery, he had not shown any interest in food whatsoever. The only food that he was ingesting was the very small amount that I was using to put meds and supplements down his throat. Yet he was full of energy and back to his old self. I called the veterinary internal medicine specialist to tell him about the lack of appetite, and he recommended―can you guess?—hospitalization for "a few days" so that they could keep Rowdy on an IV 24/7! I gulped and said, "Let me think about that." I thought how utterly depressed Rowdy would feel to find himself back in the hospital! I was scared, but I went with my gut feelings and said, "No." Instead, I used my better judgment, and I took him to an acupuncturist the next day. Rowdy perked up even more and started looking interested in food again.

I also recalled that fasting is a good thing. I used to fast myself for a week every semester when I was in college, because I knew that your body heals itself more efficiently when it doesn't have to deal with food. Fasting gives your body a rest and helps eliminate toxins. So maybe Rowdy knew what was best for him by not rushing back into eating.

Next I remembered that anesthesia can cause your back to go out of alignment, so I took Rowdy to the chiropractor the following day. Lo and behold, his entire back was wonky (from having to lie on his skinny back during that surgery), and something else―his jaw was all out of whack, too (which stands to reason since they had had to hold his mouth open in order to do the surgery on his gums). The chiropractor got him all straightened out and even used a new treatment called "cold laser therapy" on his back.

Later that day, Rowdy took his first real bite of food! And each day since, he has eaten a little bit more. I'm not sure how this saga is going to continue to unfold, but I know for sure that no matter what the biopsy results say, his treatment is going to rely heavily on chiropractic, acupuncture, homeopathy, and nonrestrictive TLC.

Gordon: Not for rent

It's bad enough that people will buy and sell dogs as if they were inanimate objects. But now, along comes FLEXPETZ to debase animals even further. I guess some people will do anything for money. And likewise, there will always be people willing to shell out big bucks to buy into the latest trend, no matter how bad it is for animals.

FLEXPETZ offers rental dogs. Yes, dogs you can rent by the day, just like a rental car. The company can even deliver the dog right to your door―just like a pizza. Its Web site describes all the wonderful perks enjoyed by these "lucky" dogs, such as holistic dog food and vet checkups every three months, but it neglects to say whether they also enjoy the services of a doggie psychotherapist, because I'm pretty sure they're going to need one after being shuttled around from client to client.

Dogs thrive on stability and routine. Sure, they like to meet new people and have fun adventures―but in reasonable doses and in the context of also having solid permanent family ties. The FLEXPETZ Web site explains that the dogs each live with a primary caregiver when not being rented, but what kind of caregivers would be willing to let their dogs go off with different strangers each day? Oh, they gather lots of personal information on their clients, sure, but we've all experienced what it's like to discover someone's "darker side" after knowing the person for years. People are good actors―there's no way to know how they are going to treat a dog once they are out of your sight. And what about the close associates of the clients? Suppose a woman rents out a dog and her boyfriend hates dogs. It's a complete leap of faith. And considering all the horrible psycho things I've read that have happened to dogs, I shudder at the thought.

But even if nothing really horrible happens and all of FLEXPETZ 's clients are completely reputable, kind people with no anger-management issues, you still have ignorance, incompetence, and human error to contend with. Anyone who has ever adopted a dog knows that there is a long learning curve of getting to know one another. And inexperienced people can make all kinds of mistakes that put a dog's well-being into jeopardy. FLEXPETZ fits each dog with a GPS tracking collar in case the dog "decides to go walkies on its [sic] own!" But what happens if the dog goes walkies right into the middle of the street and gets hit by a car? Of course, this can happen to anyone's dog, but it's much more likely when you have poorly acquainted people and dogs pairing up for jaunts around town on a daily basis.

But the worst part of all is the underlying concept that dogs can be viewed as pure commodities, available for a price to give pleasure to any human who can fill out a few forms and pony up the dough. The good thing about FLEXPETZ, though, is that it is really expensive. Right up front, you have to pay $150 for an in-home introduction session, an annual administration fee of $99.00, another $99.00 for the first month's membership fee, and a minimum of four monthly "Daily Doggy Time" charges of $45.00 per day. So that will screen out a lot of people, but there are still plenty of rich control freaks around who might want to rent a dog just to have someone to boss around and manipulate or show off like jewelry.

You can dress it up and call it what you like, but the bottom line is that these dogs are being used and exploited. At least prostitutes get to keep the money and choose their own johns.

But there is good news on the horizon. One of the cities in which FLEXPETZ was counting on opening up a franchise, Boston, has said "NO" to pet-rental companies. The City Council voted on the measure last week, and the mayor is set to sign it. FLEXPETZ entrepreneur Marlena Cervantes complained, "I'm concerned about the dogs [in Boston] we won’t be able to take in now. Now they’re going to be going into shelters."

But that's just it. The animal shelters will be there regardless, and they are already packed with needy, homeless, lonely dogs. Dogs who would do anything for a walk around the block or a trip to the park. All these FLEXPETZ clients can get all the doggie companionship they want―for free―at their local animal shelter. And instead of paying through the nose for it, they will be rewarded with a warm, satisfying feeling from having brightened the day of a sad dog who may never get to enjoy a real home.

Dexter: "Thanks to stinging nettles, I'm itch-free!"

Having home remedies on hand to treat your dogs' minor mishaps will allow you to give them quick relief while also saving money on vet bills and, in some cases, avoiding harsh medications. Just be sure to seek professional veterinary help if the home remedy isn't effective within a reasonable time period.

Arnica Montana: If I were on a desert island and could have only one natural remedy with me, it would be arnica. Homeopathic arnica is perfect for any traumatic injury, large or small. If I see one of my dogs limping, out comes the arnica. Ditto if someone takes a tumble. Arnica speeds healing big-time. You can bet that Rowdy got arnica several times a day after his recent surgery. The only tricky thing about arnica is that as a homeopathic remedy, it's very fragile energetically, so you can't touch it with your fingers―you have to get it into your dog's mouth via the lid of the container or a spoon. Homeopathic remedies are supposed to dissolve in your mouth, so unless you have arnica in a granular form, you'll need to crush the small tablets between two spoons and then just dump the powder into your dog's mouth, holding it shut for a second so that the remedy gets moistened and sticks to your dog's tongue. (Homeopathic remedies don't taste bad, so there's no problem there.) You also have to avoid giving homeopathic remedies within 15 minutes of a meal (because of their fragility). If all this sounds like voodoo, then please just suspend your disbelief―once you've seen how effective homeopathic remedies can be, you'll be a believer.

Calendula: This gentle herb is great for any type of skin rash or irritation. You can get it in liquid form or as an ointment.

Coconut Oil: Luscious coconut oil can be eaten as food or used topically―either way, its secret ingredient, caprylic acid, is going to do battle with yeast. This would be a good thing to feed to dogs with yeasty ears or a yeast overgrowth on their skin. The dosage is 1 teaspoonful per 10 pounds of bodyweight per day. It's pretty fattening, though, so you would need to cut back somewhere else in the diet.

Colloidal Silver: One health-care provider told me that colloidal silver can actually purify sewage. I believe it. It kills bacteria, so it's great to put on small cuts and wounds. Just make sure that you get a reputable brand.

Eyebright (aka Euphrasia): This aptly named herb is great for irritated, red eyes. You can give it to your dogs orally in capsule form and also topically as a popular form of homeopathic eye drops known as Similasan. This double whammy will clear up most garden-variety cases of red eyes without having to resort to antibiotics.

Hydrogen Peroxide: If you see your dog eat something that you know is going to be harmful, such as chewing gum containing xylitol or a hunk of plastic, you want to induce vomiting ASAP. The best way, in my view, is to administer hydrogen peroxide. A tablespoonful for a large dog, less for a smaller dog. It will take up to 10 minutes before your dog actually vomits―just wait for it.

Melatonin: For dogs with thunderstorm anxiety, nothing beats melatonin, which is a synthetic version of a natural hormone that regulates sleep. It can really take the edge off the fear of thunderstorms and calm dogs right down. The dosage is 6 mg for 100+-lb. dogs; 3 mg for 50-lb. dogs; 1.5 mg for 30-lb. dogs; and 0.5 mg for 10-lb. dogs. A very small percentage of dogs might have the opposite reaction (excitement) when given melatonin, so test it out when there is no sign of a thunderstorm in sight.

Pet Calm: This classic combination of herbs, homeopathic remedies, vitamins, and minerals can be used in any situation that is going to evoke anxiety, whether it's a car trip, a trip to the vet, or construction workers on the roof. Give it 20 minutes prior to the stress-inducing event.

Slippery Elm: The herb to reach for at the onset of intestinal distress, such as diarrhea, slippery elm soothes and coats the intestinal walls. I have Rowdy on this right now for his inflammatory bowel disease.

Stinging Nettles: For dogs with that summertime itch, stinging nettles are just the ticket. They have a natural anti-histamine effect, similar to Benedryl but without the drowsiness. I give Dexter two capsules every morning and evening, but for small dogs, like Theresa, who also suffers from the itchies, you can just open up a capsule and pour a small amount into their food. Stinging nettles are also a very nutritious plant loaded with calcium.

Styptic Powder: An essential grooming accessory, this is a must-have for anyone who trims dogs' nails, no matter how good at it they are. When a nail accidentally gets trimmed too close and bleeds, styptic powder can staunch the bleeding very quickly, so it's good to keep it on hand, just in case.

Vanilla Soy Ice Cream: Something I learned recently, when researching seizures after Chihuahua Theresa's recent seizure episode, is that in the aftermath of a seizure, a dog is at risk for a second one because his or her blood sugar drops so dramatically during the initial one. The best way to prevent a second seizure is to immediately offer something sweet and fatty―like ice cream.

Veterinarian's Best Hot Spot Spray: I like this product for sudden hotspots or other skin irritations. It contains aloe vera, tea tree oil, and chamomile; soothes the skin with an anti-itch effect; smells great; and, best of all, isn't tested on animals!

Yellow Dock: This herb will kill ear mites while having a gentler effect on the ear tissue than the standard ear ointment administered by veterinarians, which can sting inflamed ear canals. Before applying the yellow dock, fill a small dropper bottle with olive oil and the contents of one 400 I.U. capsule of vitamin E, and apply a half-dropperful of this mixture into the ears every other day for three treatments. This will smother the adult mites and soothe the ear tissue. Then, as the remaining eggs hatch, apply a tincture of yellow dock into the ear canals every three days for four weeks to kill the "newborn" mites.

Good luck and good health to you and your pups!

Louie

I've known a few beagles in my life, and there's only one way to describe all of them: sweetness personified. So you have to wonder what kind of evil lurks inside a person who would purposely harm such a sweet creature. One of our own government agencies, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is responsible for making sure that pharmaceuticals, biologicals, and medical devices are safe, effective, and of a high quality and also that foods, cosmetics, and radiation-emitting products are safe as well, is very big on using beagles for toxicity tests. In fact, the use of beagles is so widespread in pharmaceutical testing in the U.S. that 65,000 of these sweet puppies are forced to undergo hideous experiments every year.

What are these experiments like? Well, just imagine if you lived in a small prison cell and someone force-fed you every day with a nasty chemical that made you nauseous and dizzy for hours and hours and then, just as you were starting to feel better, came along again to pump some more of the sickening chemical down your throat. Imagine this going on for weeks or months. I have seen footage of beagles in toxicity tests, and it is heart-wrenching. The dogs can barely stand up, they whine, they drool, and they are clearly miserable and suffering. Many of these dogs are slowly and torturously poisoned to death.

Penny

And for what? Most of these drugs don't pass muster anyway. The ones that do are then tested extensively on humans (obviously in much more humane conditions) because the animal tests weren't really reliable to begin with. And even then, according to the FDA, a whopping 92 percent of the drugs fail during the human trials because they end up having side effects that weren't predicted based on the animal studies that were conducted.

The FDA regulations are in need of a massive overhaul, both technically and ethically.

Lulu

This morning, PETA ran a full-page ad in The Washington Post denouncing the head of the FDA, Andrew Von Eschenbach, for supporting these barbaric toxicity tests and calling on him to replace them with modern, reliable, non-animal tests. This is the 21st century! But we are still conducting these torture tests that aren't much different from burning people at the stake, except that they're being done on one of the sweetest, most loyal, affectionate, nonjudgmental, forgiving, and loving creatures on the planet, the beagle. What is wrong with us humans? Where is our sense of fairness and compassion? It's really shameful.

And it's not just beagles―it's lots of other kinds of animals who are being tortured as well. In my view, it's just plain evil to inflict suffering like this on any living being, no matter what can be gained from it. If you put yourself into those victimized animals' "shoes" and really try to feel what they are going through, then only the coldest, most heartless.person could give toxicity tests on them the thumbs-up. Of course, there are many cold, heartless people in the world. Apparently, a large number of them work in animal-testing labs.

Please help us try to change this sorry state of affairs!

Rogan: "Impacted anal glands are such a pain in the butt!"

The reason why the squeamish must read this is because they are the people most likely not to want to address this problem, which can cause pain and suffering to dogs if neglected. The topic is … anal glands!

The anal glands, which are situated just below the skin under a dog's tail at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., respectively (if the anus were the center of a clock), are supposed to secrete fluid every time a dog has a bowel movement. Things can go haywire, especially with dogs who have skin (read: digestive/immune) problems. The anal glands can fill up and get impacted or even infected. Now, I know that no one enjoys dealing with the "business" end of the dog, but problems down there are pretty common and can be very uncomfortable. Not having anal glands ourselves, we can only imagine what it would be like when they get impacted―probably like sitting on a couple of marbles, only much more painful. So we need to deal with this.

Signs that your dog's anal glands are full include scooting across the floor, chewing at the tail area, and the extremely pungent odor of anal gland secretions, which can overflow out of the glands when they're too full.

I recently received this message from a friend: "Winnie [not her real name] is suffering from anal gland problems―both have abscessed and one of them can't even be expressed. One vet advised surgery to remove them, and two others have said no, don't do that. I prefer not to do it, of course, and probably won't, but I'm afraid these abscesses will return. They are truly horrible."

She went on to say, "The problem is, no one―technician or vet―has been able to express her left gland at all and can barely get anything from the right because it’s so thick. When the right does express, it is with great difficulty and pain for Winnie. They had to knock her out last week in order to apply enough pressure to express both glands. They then flushed them out and inserted antibiotic ointment. She’s going back in about 10 days to see if they can start expressing them on a regular basis―hoping that the infusion of that ointment will help break up the horribly thick gunk."

Here are some suggestions for keeping your dog’s anal glands in tip-top shape:

•Be sure that there is enough fiber in Fido's diet. I once began adding a substantial amount of grated cabbage to my cocker spaniel Rogan's food because he needed to slim down, and his rather severe anal gland problems disappeared forever. Well-soaked, shredded, unsweetened coconut is an even better choice (2 tsp. dried, unsweetened coconut per 30 pounds of bodyweight).

•Upgrade Fido's diet while you’re at it, choosing whole, natural foods and eliminating junk.

•Also add coconut oil to his food (1 tsp. per 10 pounds of bodyweight).

•Be sure that he gets plenty of exercise.

•Make sure that he has ample opportunity to eliminate.

•Do not make him feel too crowded in his own home, i.e., give him a room that he can retire to in order to "get away from it all."

•Have his anal glands expressed periodically by an expert. If you're game, have the expert show you how to do it. It's not hard, and it's such a relief to be able to express the glands immediately rather than having to wait for a vet appointment to roll around. Yes, the stuff that comes out of them smells bad (I believe it's related to a skunk's "perfume"), but it's probably no worse than changing diapers.

If you suspect that there is already trouble brewing, you can take the following steps at home, but if you don’t see substantial improvement within a day or so, then head for your vet's office as soon as possible:

•Administer one single dose of homeopathic Silicea 30C (and remember, with delicate homeopathic remedies, you need to get them into Fido's mouth without touching them, and he shouldn't eat for 15 minutes prior to or after receiving the remedy).

•Make a warm herbal compress by pouring 2 cups of boiling water over 2 Tbsp. dried calendula herb and letting it steep until just warm. Dip a washcloth into this warm liquid and hold it up to the affected anal gland for a few minutes. Repeat several times, twice a day.

•Go ahead and add the well-soaked, shredded, unsweetened coconut to Fido's food if you haven't already. (Better late than never.)

On a personal note, I did all three of the above bulleted items when Dexter had a very sore anal gland a few months ago, and he was completely back to normal within 24 hours. It was quite remarkable!

Sammy Baxter: "We dogs can overheat so easily―please be careful, especially in the summer!"

The following is a guest post by Lisa Towell, a great writer and friend of PETA.

A few years ago, we took our dog Sydney out for a hike with some friends on a gorgeous hot summer day. The first part of the trail was up a steep, treeless hillside—Sydney made us feel out of shape as she trotted easily up in front of us. Halfway up the hill, we met a man sitting with his Rottweiler dog. The dog was a big friendly fellow, well over 100 pounds, and was panting heavily in the shadeless heat. We asked if the dog needed some water, but the man assured us that he was fine. "King just needs a rest before we finish going up the hill." So we walked on.

Dogs are prone to heatstroke, much more so than their human companions—they can only cool themselves by panting and by sweating through their paw pads. Most people know about the risks of leaving a dog in a hot car, but dogs can easily overheat while exercising on a summer day. Heatstroke is most common in large breeds and in short-nosed dogs like boxers and bulldogs. But other factors can also contribute, like obesity, heavy fur, lack of acclimation to the heat, and even excitement. Dogs just adore running around to explore new sights and smells and don't always show good sense about how hot the weather is.

We had a nice picnic at the top of the hill and made sure that Sydney had lots of water. We started back down toward the car, sweaty and happy, about an hour later. When we got back to where we had left King, we were dismayed to find him stretched out flat on his side, breathing rapidly with foam on his lips. The man waved away our offers of help. "He'll be OK in a few minutes." But we knew this dog was in trouble. We poured our water over his black fur and tried to get him to drink, but he fell unconscious as we tried to help him. We told the man that his dog needed a vet immediately and offered to help transport him down the hill. The man didn’t quite seem convinced, but our two biggest guys hoisted King up and we got moving.

King died before we made it back to the parking lot.

I felt just sick at seeing such an unnecessary tragedy. Could we have saved him if we'd had some medical training? What if we had intervened when we first met the dog, while he was still conscious?

The best treatment for heatstroke is prevention. Try to avoid exercising your dog on a hot day (except for very early in the morning or late at night), and consider whether it's really in your dog's best interests to go with you to the Art & Wine Fair or the flea market when the sun is beating down. If you must take a dog out in the heat of the day, take frequent shady rest breaks, and offer lots of water.

Heatstroke can strike surprisingly quickly. Know the symptoms, so you can recognize it in your own dogs and in other dogs whose caregivers aren't as well informed. Early signs include heavy panting, difficulty breathing, excessive salivation, and lethargy. These are followed by confusion or lack of coordination, dry gums, and possible vomiting or diarrhea. Collapse and coma come next and can quickly lead to brain damage and death. If you see these signs, quick action is needed to save Ginger’s life. First, get her out of the direct sun and offer her water if she's able to drink it. Second, get her temperature down by wetting her thoroughly with cool (not cold) water. It can also help to place cool water-soaked towels on her head, neck, armpits, and groin. Third, get her to a vet as quickly as possible. Some delayed complications from heatstroke are very serious, so it's best to see the vet even if she seems to be recovering.

Every hot day when I see a dog panting in the sun, I remember King. After that heart-wrenching experience, I got some pet first-aid training, and I promised myself that I will fearlessly butt into other people's business if an animal's safety is at stake. But I ache every time I think of King, because what we did that day wasn't enough.

Tammy and Kiwi of Fetch! Pet Care in Virginia Beach

Working at PETA, I'm fortunate to be surrounded by people who care about animals, many of whom would love to earn a few extra bucks, so it hasn't been too difficult to find people to stay with my dogs when I'm away. I've managed to zero in on a couple of very reliable coworkers who allow me to get away without having to worry about what's going on at home.

However, it hasn't always been so. I once employed a pet sitter straight out of the phone book and ended up being very sorry I did: When I got home, my dog and his canine friend had no water to drink. Later, on the phone, the pet sitter admitted that she had been in a hurry that morning and had simply neglected to refill their water bowl!

And leaving dogs in a boarding kennel or at the vet's is just not an option for people who really care about their dogs. Being in a strange, cramped environment surrounded by lots of other stressed-out barking dogs, who might be transmitting diseases to one another, isn't exactly on a par with the vacation being taken by Fido's guardians while he pines away. I know that a lot of newer facilities are trying to make things nicer for Fido, but there's still no comparison with staying in his own familiar surroundings from which he can derive comfort.

I remember when I was in high school and we picked up our beloved Socksie from a boarding kennel after we had been gone for several weeks. She looked horrible. She was sick and droopy. I don't remember what she had contracted, but I'll never forget the contrast between her experience of the previous few weeks and my family's. We learned our lesson: Dogs deserve better.

As family members, dogs deserve to be left in not only capable but also caring hands when we have to be away from home. Therefore, it's well worth our while to submit our potential pet sitter to a great deal of scrutiny in order to avoid coming home to a tragedy or getting a distressing phone call while we're still hundreds of miles away from home.

I recently became aware of a nationwide California-based pet-sitting company called Fetch! Pet Care, and I like what I've read about its policies and practices. To begin with, the company suggests using the following thorough checklist when selecting a pet-sitting service in your area:

[ ] Diligently check all of the company's references—at least three should be voluntarily provided.
[ ] Ensure that the company is fully bonded and insured.
[ ] Confirm that your sitter has undergone a criminal background check and has received proper training.
[ ] Pre-interview the sitter with your pets present to observe interactions and establish a "comfort level" for both yourself and your pets.
[ ] Clearly state how you would like the sitter to use his or her visit time in terms of walking, playing, feeding, cleaning, etc.
[ ] Verify that the sitter can accommodate both your pet's daily feeding and walking schedule and your desired vacation schedule, even during the busiest holidays.
[ ] Ensure that the company offers seven-day-per-week telephone and e-mail availability.
[ ] Provide medical and behavioral history about your pets as well as veterinary and other emergency contact information, and gather all necessary supplies, including food, vitamins, and treats, in one central location.
[ ] Ensure that the company has "backup" measures in place should your sitter have an emergency that prevents him or her from completing your assignment.

This quote from the company's Web site really resonated with me:

Fetch! Pet Care has significantly raised the bar by setting a new industry standard in pet-sitting and dog walking services. Prior to our inception, pet-sitting services were largely provided by independent one- or two-person operations that often quickly booked up, accommodated a limited area, offered a limited range of services, didn't have emergency backups or insurance, weren't professionally trained, and often got overworked or otherwise burned out. Fetch! Pet Care, however, offers professional, reliable, loving care to animals of all kinds, a large professionally trained staff always available wherever and whenever you need them most, a wide range of service offerings, and a satisfaction guarantee that, all combined, are simply unmatched in the field.

I decided to call my local Fetch! Pet Care representative, Tammy Cobb, to see if she was for real. We had a delightful conversation about her company's services and history and about her local operation, and I came away feeling very good about it. She loves her job and has a whole network of contract people on standby, ready to petsit as needed. For a household with two dogs, she would stay from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. and provide two 20- to 30-minute walks—for only $60! (There's a small extra charge for each additional dog or cat.) A 30-minute midday walk/visit is $20. This is very reasonable pricing.

With Labor Day approaching and holiday travel planning already underway for some, Fetch! Pet Care is offering PETA members a 10 percent discount on its services as well as a free in-home consultation. If you're interested, call 1-866-FETCH-ME or visit Fetch! Pet Care's Web site.