A Boy and His Dog

     Amidst the many tasks I was trying to accomplish this evening, my daughter Aubrey asked me to read her essay for English.  Aubrey is a high school junior and an emerging writer.  She wrote about our old dog Jack and her older brother, Geoffrey.  I brought Jack home as a little puppy when Geoffrey was 5.  I had seen his litter for 8 week vaccinations and he was one of the puppies that didn't have a home yet.  He came home with me that night.  Geoffrey is off at college now and Jack has been gone for several years.  As Aubrey writes, he was always Geoffrey's dog.  I was there for his passing that she writes about and remember it like it was yesterday.  It is interesting to hear it reflected on through someone else's eyes.  I was so moved by what she wrote, I asked her if I could post her story as a "guest blog".

                                                  A Peaceful Companion by Aubrey Kraabel

Jack was our old wise guard dog. From the moment he came into our family, he fit in. He was a big silly lab as a puppy and a calm, stable companion in his later years. Jack was a family dog. We all loved him but none of us could deny the fact that he was really Geoffrey’s dog. Geoffrey used to let him sleep on the beds and couches and could spend hours on the floor playing with him. It wasn’t hard to tell that Jack felt the same way about Geoffrey. Jack was loyal to us all, but the rest of us were like distant relatives compared to Geoffrey.

           Jack stayed with us for nearly twelve years, through moving to a new house, the addition of our younger brother and several changes in our cast of pets. Jack died in the fall, as the days were getting colder. We were all there when he let go. It was cold out on the grass of the lawn, but there was a heavy chill in the air that had nothing to do with the temperature. We said our last goodbyes, petting his soft black fur and telling him we loved him. My parents had done everything they could for him, but there was no cure for his old age.

The afternoon ticked on after Jack’s heart stopped, oblivious to the pain in our chests. One-by-one, my family and I trickled back inside, all except Geoffrey. Geoffrey stayed curled up next to Jack. Geoffrey remained there for hours, spread out on the grass. Jack was at his side, finally peaceful and free of the pain from his joints.   

I had never seen anything like it before. My closed-off, “tough guy” brother was laying in complete silence next to his companion’s body. Geoffrey has never been an emotional person, nor has he ever been a “family man”. He spent most of his high school days either at work, school, sports or a friend’s house. He was rarely home. So much so in fact that it became the family joke that he really just stored his stuff at the house and stopped by to change and eat the contents of the fridge.

That day, however, he stayed home. He was at Jack’s side until the light faded to a soft grey against the surrounding trees. Geoffrey returned all the favors that Jack had done for him, protecting Jack and staying faithfully at his side until the last moment.

I remember standing on the smooth wood of the kitchen looking out into the yard. Seeing Geoffrey show such loyalty and love for Jack gave me a new understanding of my distant older brother and brought us together. I knew exactly how he felt. Although Jack was not really my dog, I’d been through it all before. My family has always had pets. We learned from a very young age what it’s like to lose them. My brother will always remain a mystery to me, but I know we can always find a common ground when it comes to our pets.

When Geoffrey finally came inside, we didn’t say much, just letting him have his space. That night at dinner we ate together like always. Somehow we found ourselves smiling and laughing as we shared all the old stories about Jack. Today, Geoffrey still has Jack’s ID tag on his keychain, carrying a memory of his best friend with him wherever he goes.

That Fall day, Geoffrey was there for Jack in his final hour and my family and I were there for Geoffrey afterwards. Jack’s health had been rapidly declining. We all knew there was nothing else that could be done. Jack had reached a point where he didn’t need anymore fancy treatments or anymore fighting for what was already lost; he just needed a loyal friend to be by his side at the end. Geoffrey fulfilled that need. Although my brother has never been as good at being there for his human family, I know that he can rise to the occasion when he needs to.

Geoffrey’s actions demonstrate a lesson for us all. We should all remember to be there for each other. Whether that means keeping a friend’s spirits up when all they want to do is eat ice cream and cry over The Notebook for the hundredth time, or just having a presence within your family. We all have hardships and challenges. Facing them is much less intimidating when you know you are not alone. The world is a much better place when we work to understand and be there for each other.

After all, I think we all need someone who will be there for us until the very end.

Your Itchy Dog - The Usual Suspects

Image Source:  Novartis AH

     "My dog won't stop scratching" is a typical lament around here in the fall.  We see itchy dogs all year but it is more common now.   Last week, I often had several appointments in a row for itching.  It can be frustrating.  The dog is usually uncomfortable.  His people can't sleep with the collar jangling all night.  Mange or infections may cause itching but allergic dermatitis, in its multiple forms, is the most common cause.  Allergic dermatitis may be caused by food allergy, inhalant (atopic) dermatitis, contact dermatitis, bacterial (or Staph) hypersensitivity, or flea bite hypersensitivity.  Or, put more succinctly, a dog’s skin may react to things they eat, anything they breathe in, anything they touch, their own bacteria, or bites from things that crawl on them, fleas being the most common.

     It is commonly thought that food sensitivity is the biggest player in creating itchy skin.  The true incidence of food allergy is 0.9% of cases.  So, if we only approach the problem from a dietary perspective we are merely scratching the surface :).  Food allergy is most often a non-seasonal problem.  It is usually generalized over the majority of the body but doesn't really follow any specific pattern and can mimic other causes of itching.  

     Inhalant allergy, or atopic dermatitis, is an itchy skin reaction to things in the animal environment.  These allergens were long thought to enter the body only through inhalation but we now know they can enter through the skin as well.  When they enter through the skin, a breakdown of the normal epidermal barrier has occurred in that creature’s skin. The breakdown allows the allergen unwelcome entry to the animal’s immune system. These allergens may include things like grasses, pollen, shrubs, molds, cat and human dander, and dust mites.  The potential list is lengthy.  This allergy is often seasonal.  It typically involves the feet, face and ears but not usually the back and up over the tail base.

     Contact dermatitis is less common but includes specific skin reaction to things the animal touches.  This may include grass and plants they run through, bedding, or the backing of carpeting.  This allergy may or may not be seasonal.  It usually affects the area under the forearms (axillary region), the groin (inguinal area), or the belly.

     Bacterial hypersensitivity is a reaction to the normal bacteria on the skin.  Any of the other allergies can lead to bacterial overgrowth and secondary infection.  Bacterial infection and reaction are most common on the belly and inguinal region of the body. Certain breeds like the German Shepherd and Golden Retriever are more prone to bacterial infections in general.

Source:  elanco.us

     Flea allergy dermatitis is the most common allergy we see this time of the year.  Flea allergy may be seen any time of the year and we won't always find fleas, even when we know that they are the cause.  An important distinction needs to be made between a flea infestation and a flea bite hypersensitivity reaction.  A dog may be covered in fleas but not be reactive to them.   Another dog may get a single flea bite and have his system react to the flea saliva from the bite.  That dog may itch intensely for an extended period of time. This is a very important concept because when flea allergy is on our list of possibilities for your animal, we are going to recommend flea control whether we saw an actual flea or not.  Flea hypersensitivity usually results in itching on the lower back and over the tail base and spreads down the back legs and on to the belly.  

      It is also important to consider that any given animal doesn't have to have just one of these causes.  They often work in concert especially in dogs that we see multiple times during many different seasons of the year. It is quite common to see a flea allergy reaction in a dog with atopic dermatitis and a secondary infection.  It is not surprising for that dog to also have food sensitivities.  We also keep in mind that there may be other complicating factors in some patients.  Concurrent yeast infections or hormonal imbalances, such as low thyroid may play a role.

     This is the list of possibilities that runs through our heads when evaluating an itchy dog (the list is pretty similar in the cat, as well).  Remember that flea allergy is very common. In the fall in the Northwest, if a dog has itching on their back and at the base of the tail, they have a flea allergic reaction until proven otherwise.  This is true whether we find fleas or not.

     So, keep your pet on flea control!  This will avoid the most preventable itching. 

     

Timothy R Kraabel, DVM, DABVP (Canine/Feline Practice)

Outreach Chairman, American Board of VeterinaryPractitioners