National Dog Bite Prevention Week

Dog Bite Prevention

Imagine, if you will, about 1,000 people are bit by a dog in the United States each and every day.  That amounts to over 350,000 people every year.  Of those, over 9,500 are hospitalized due to the serious nature of their injuries.  And, there are several people that will die from those injuries.  Of course, not all dog bites are preventable; however, with a little knowledge of dog behavior, dog owners can make a significant difference in their pet’s behavior to make them less likely to bite a human.  

Dog bites occur for many different reasons.  It’s not always due to true dominant aggressive dogs.  Dogs will bite most often out of fear, but dogs also bite a human to defend themselves or their territory, to guard a valuable resource like food or a toy, or because they feel threatened.  

The biggest mistake made by humans while training their dogs is to humanize them.  This means we treat them like they are human and part of the family.  For many dogs that will not be a problem.  However, we can, unknowingly, create separation anxiety, aggressive behavior and other behavior issues.  A dog sees us as a pack.  All members of the household need to be more dominant than their dog.  Then their pet will respect them and not feel the need to overstep their bounds.  In other words, your pet will bite a person to send the message that the person is acting inappropriately when they feel they are higher on the totem pole than their housemate.  How do we train our puppies to be subordinate to all house members?  That is the big question that has many answers with many books written on this subject.  This blog is not intended to teach you all there is to know about training dogs.  I do want you to understand that your dog will respond to you if you treat them like a dog and be in charge.  When you give them commands (like sit) firmly TELL them to sit.  Do NOT ASK them to sit.  As humans, we like to be polite.  Remember, they are not humans.  In addition, ideally your dog is not allowed on furniture which includes beds.  Yes, I said it.  I know that one of the reasons we get a pet is to cuddle, snuggle, and sleep with them often.  This puts them on your level literally and makes them feel equal to you and in some cases better than you.  This can promote aggression in some dogs with that aggressive tendency.  Also, it is ideal to give nothing to your dog for free.  That means any attention, treats and food should not be given unless your dog does something for it like sit or lay down.  If you do these things (command your dog, keep them off furniture and give nothing for free) you are well on your way to having a well- behaved dog that will have a much less tendency to bite. 

 

Fear biting dogs are a different story.  They often need professional help and antianxiety medication to help them be less fearful; and, therefore less likely to bite.   The important thing about fear aggressive dogs is to recognize it and don’t make excuses for the dog.   Get professional help when you recognize there is an issue, or at least contact a professional if you aren’t sure.

Dog bites will always be an issue so long as we choose to live our lives intertwined with a dog’s life.  Dogs provide us so much joy and fond memories, and through research we know that they give us many health benefits as well.  So, we need to figure out how to have a dog in our homes that we can trust.  I encourage anyone with a dog to seek information about how to train your dog, and to especially seek a professional at any signs of aggression.  Do not wait and do not make excuses for the dog’s behavior!!

Dr. Ron Biese

Kaukauna Veterinary Clinic

Spring Is Upon Us - Ticks Are Out & Hungry!

Dr. David Gagnon

Spring is upon us, which means ticks are out and hungry.  In northeast Wisconsin, we primarily deal with two species of tick: the “deer tick”, also known as the black-legged tick, and the “wood tick”, also known as the American dog tick.  The American dog tick is not a huge threat in our little corner of the world, but it is known to carry significant diseases in other parts of the country.  There is a third tick species we rarely see, called the Lone Star Tick, that is known to carry Ehrlichiosis, among other things.  But our biggest, and most common threat in northeast Wisconsin is the Black Legged Tick, which carries Anaplasma and the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

People who have had Lyme disease or know someone who has had it know that it can be a dreadful disease.  As it turns out, our dogs can get Lyme disease too.  Although both people and dogs can be infected, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease cannot be transmitted between dogs and people.  It is only delivered from a tick bite.

Black legged ticks are very small and often difficult to find, especially through a dog’s fur. It’s up to us to try to kill the tick before it has a chance to cause problems.  These days, we have several options for tick prevention.  Topical preventatives like Parastar Plus or Frontline have been around for years, but nowadays we have chewable products, such as Bravecto.  Chewables have gained favor since entering the scene a couple years ago, not only because of their convenience, but also because they’re very safe and effective. Nevertheless, nothing is 100% effective (though some are pretty close), so we do also recommend vaccinating your dog against Lyme.  In the event that a tick bites and delivers this bacteria, the vaccine helps your dog fight off the disease without becoming ill.

Due to the fact that we live in an area with a high population of ticks (which, by the way, is only increasing!), we recommend an annual test to look for exposure to a variety of tick-borne diseases.  Ticks tend to be most active in the spring and fall, but can be around any time of year.  Many people believe ticks aren’t a threat in the winter.  While the threat is lower, they can still be active even if the temperatures outside are below freezing, especially if there’s no snow on the ground. We recommend year-round flea and tick prevention.

If you ever find a tick on your dog, don’t rely on the tick’s size to identify it.  Ticks are all small, and they all get larger after feeding.  Please feel free to bring in the tick (whether you remove it from your pet or it’s still attached).  If you don’t see a tick attached, it doesn’t mean one never hopped on… they’re incredibly small and difficult to find.

Typical symptoms dogs show are lethargy and joint pain/stiffness.  If you ever notice your dog is not acting normally or not feeling well, please call us.

TickEncounter Resource Center

O'Tom Tick Twister (Tick Removal Tool)