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Dear Casey,

Q: Why does my dog stick his nose out the car window?

A: Ottawa veterinarian, Miki Shibata explains, “Dogs are intelligent animals that rely heavily on their nose & eyes to help them navigate and understand the world.”

In plain English, your dog has more than 220 million olfactory receptors in his nose while humans have only about five million of these receptors. That means they have almost 50 times the sense of smell we do! And basically, dogs poke their snouts out the window because they enjoy the sights and smells passing by.

Again we quote Dr. Shibata, “The fast-moving air brings a constant stream of scent that is very interesting for your dog and provides him with key information about his surroundings. This fast-moving air also has a cooling effect by speeding the evaporation of saliva from the tongue and mouth of a hot and panting dog.”

Most vets agree that you should take precautions if you allow your dog to poke his head out the window of a moving vehicle. There are serious risks involved mainly from flying particles like debris, dirt, sand or stone which can cause severe injury to your dog’s eyes. Also, keep in mind that there has been more than one dog who inadvertently fell or jumped out the open window of a moving vehicle even if they had never done so in the past.

A number of years ago a product called “Doggles” doggy goggles were invented to protect the eyes of dog’s who just had to have their heads out of their owner’s vehicles. You may want to invest in a pair to protect your dog’s eyes if you travel a lot.

While your dog may love to hang out the window and sniff out the great smells while you are hitting the road, be cautious and consider your speed and the amount of traffic all around you before allowing him to do so.

Ask Casey...

Dear Casey,

Q. I lick my paws way too much and it is driving my mom crazy! She has tried oregano oil but it is really expensive and is stinking up the house and my feet are smelly from licking them so much. Do you have any suggestions??? Thanks, Robbie Burns, West Highland White Terrier, Extraordinaire.

A. Excessive paw licking, biting, and/or constant scratching is often a sign of food allergies. Sometimes pets develop allergies toward their diet. Paw biting, excessive licking, ear scratching and belly licking can all be signs that their diets are starting to aggravate them.

Various meat proteins, food preservatives, and additives or fillers when ingested may cause itchy skin disease or intestinal disease in domestic animals. This is an acquired allergic reaction and often a dog may have been eating the same food for months or years before any problems arise.
There is currently no accurate blood or skin test to tell if your dog has food allergies. The only method is by avoidance and challenge -- a process of elimination.

To determine if your dog may have a food allergy, you can try putting them on a carefully selected hypoallergenic diet. Studies have shown that, in most cases, the allergen can be diagnosed after your pooch has been placed on a selected diet for 8-10 weeks.

Have a chat with your vet about food allergies and change your pooches’ diet. Find a different protein source (beef & chicken are often the main culprits) that your pet has not be exposed to before. It may be the key to ridding him of itchy toes and feet!

Good luck.

Dear Casey,

Q. We recently noticed that our dog, a neutered male, isn’t just sniffing in the grass, but that he licks other dogs’ pee. He doesn’t see where the dog went to the bathroom, but he can smell it and goes straight to it. He will lick the grass and then foam at the mouth a little bit, or his tongue will poke out and his lips will quiver. Once he’s on the trail there’s no stopping him. Is this really gross? Why does he do this and how can we get him to stop?

A. When a dog licks another dog’s urine, they are using an organ in the roof of their mouth that allows them to not only smell the scent, but to also taste it.

It helps them to analyze the scent in a more in-depth way. They are then able to tell whether the urine is male or female and even if the dog is in season or not. Your dog can determine if it is a young or old dog and even tell if the urine is coming from one of his friends. Your precious pooch drools or foams, and chatters his mouth to help him “waffle” the scent around in order to better identify the depositor of this pee!

While most humans view this as disgusting behavior, and thankfully don’t posses this unique trait, urine itself is sterile and therefore not really harmful to a dog, so don’t panic! Your kidlet is only doing something that comes totally naturally to him: checking out his environment the best way he knows. While it may seem totally gross to humans, a dog’s sense of smell is thousands of times more sensitive than humans, and all your dog wants to do is sniff out his world and locate where his friends are hanging out! Stop panicking and go with the flow.

Ask Casey...

Dear Casey,

Q: What is a “Geriatric Blood Panel” and when should a dog have one? What are the benefits?

A: This is a very simplified answer so please speak with your vet further about this topic, but in a nutshell:

A geriatric blood panel is a blood test that will show your vet and owner what’s going on inside your dog body. As we dogs mature, our vital organs like liver, pancreas, kidneys, spleen and bladder don’t run quite as efficiently as they used to. This blood panel will show where our enzyme levels, blood count, etc. are and your vet will be able to compare them to “normal” levels which will give him a heads up to the potential for diseases like diabetes, kidney failure, pancreatitis, etc. before we may show physical signs.

Because dogs don’t show pain the way humans do (we are very stoic), by the time our parents realize there is a problem and rush us to the vet it is often too late to do anything to save us.
Basically a geriatric blood panel is a preventative tool and will help you catch illness in a dog, hopefully before it becomes a disease too advanced to treat. Think of it as preventative medicine and money very well spent.

Your vet can explain this blood panel in more detail and will recommend when your owner should start running a yearly blood panel on you. It depends on size and breed of dog, as we all age differently, but my mom has run a yearly geriatric blood panel on me, from the time I turned seven years old. I am now a pretty healthy 15 ½ year old gal, and I have to tell you that, over the years, this blood panel has helped my mom find problems with my liver and pancreas that might have manifested themselves and cut short my pampered life. An ounce of prevention and all that love sure doesn’t hurt!

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Dear Casey,

My owner always scoops my poop but I am noticing that an awful lot of owners don’t. Are there any repercussions to this nasty crime?

A. This is why people hate dogs -- and I just want to reiterate that there are NO bad dogs, only bad dog owners. Listen up people, you wouldn’t leave your own poop out there for other humans or dogs to step in so why leave ours? It’s plain and simply rude!! And, yes, there is a pooper scooping law in Vancouver that comes with a fine if you are caught and I hope you are caught because it is criminal to leave poop behind! Starting at $250...

Dear Casey,

I hate taking pills. My mom tries to push them down my throat but I am a master at spitting, choking and coughing them back out. Can you offer her any suggestions to make this process easier?

A. Two words: peanut butter! Slather the pill in either butter or peanut butter and presto: pill gone. Personally, I am a sucker for anything with the word “butter” in it. Yummy!

Ask Casey...

Q. What kind of music do you like to listen to?

A. I have a few favorite CDs including Songs to make Dogs Happy by Skip Haynes & Dana Walden. My favorite song is “You’re a Good Dog” although Chloe, my little Bichon buddy likes “Squeaky Deaky” best. All available from www.petcds.com.

My absolute favorite music is the Pet Music 3-CD Collection: Sunday in the Park, Natural Rhythms and Peaceful Playground that my Mom has played for me since 1999. Pet Music was created especially for us and the soothing collection is supposed to help reduce our separation anxiety, eliminate stress and enhance our daily routines. All I know is that it makes me fall asleep on the couch and snore up a storm when my Mom plays it for me. It’s available from www.petmusic.com.

Ask Casey...

Q. Can you recommend bath and beauty products?
A. My mom bathes me with the All Natural Lavender Conditioning Shampoo from the Cain & Able Collection. It’s an all natural and gentle shampoo with mild cleansing agents that don’t dry my skin. Pure essential oils nourish my coat leaving it clean and shiny! The handmade dog shampoo is infused with citronella oil and essential oils of lavender, eucalyptus & tea tree to provide natural flea control in addition to the aromatherapy benefits. The Lavender/Eucalyptus blend is made for sensitive skin like mine: we Bichons are prone to itching and skin sensitivity so my mom has to be very careful with me. Check out the entire line or purchase at bow wow haus or Three Dog Bakery. Their all natural vanilla toothpaste and extra special toothbrush keeps my teeth clean and white and keeps my breath fresh, too!

Q. Can you recommend some healthier dog treats?
A. I LOVE EVERYTHING, especially Milk Bone Dog Biscuits! Unfortunately, I have discovered as I age, that I have a very sensitive digestive system and my vet insists I need to lose weight and eat natural treats. Although I will eat anything -- and I mean anything -- my mom has become very discerning with my snacks and feeds me cookies that are rather small in size to help cut back on calories. My faves are Cheese Hearts from Bark & Fitz on Cardero Street in Coal Harbor. They come in a refillable milk glass bottle and make me crazy with delight! The Three Dog Bakery has scrumptious Itty Bitty Bones that make me whine at the sight of them and Natural Balance makes Healthy Bones Dog Treats with turkey, oatmeal and cranberry in big and small-sized biscuits. These more budget friendly treats are available at Tisol and Bosley’s Stores.