Healthy Dogs
In the months following the publication of Merle's Door, I received hundreds of emails from readers who had lost beloved dogs and closed their letters with a variation on this theme: "Why must our dogs die so young?"
Naturally, when most of us say this, we're not expecting an answer. We're expressing a rhetorical complaint: "Why do our best friends in the animal kingdom live so much such shorter lives than we do, only about an eighth of the normal life expectancy of a person in the developed world?"
However, I also received another question from many readers, which was more particular in its nature and much more heartrending: "Why did my dog have to die of cancer at three years old...at four...at six?" "Why," as one person wrote, "have four of my five Golden Retrievers died of cancer?"
What are the key elements of having a long-lived, healthy dog? Here are some pointers.
One of the most comprehensive sources of information about keeping dogs healthy is Dr. Karen Becker's website: https://drkarenbecker.com/.
Contaminants
Don't expose your dog to environmental pollutants, particularly the herbicides and pesticides that are applied to lawns and golf courses.
Nutrition
Rotate your dog's food on a weekly or monthly basis. Would you be healthy if you ate the same thing your entire life? Reduce the carbohydrates your dog eats (corn, oats, soy, barley, rice) and replace it with high-quality protein.
Helpful Links: The recommendations of an increasing number of veterinarians as summarized by Dr. Marty Goldstein and Dr. Karen Becker.
Vaccinations
My recommendation, gleaned from interviews with such canine vaccine experts as Dr. Ron Schultz and Dr. Jean Dodds, is not to vaccinate a puppy until 16 weeks of age (it still has maternal immunity). At 16 weeks of age, vaccinate your pup against parvovirus and distemper, and at 20 weeks of age vaccinate it against rabies. Three weeks later have your vet draw a blood sample and send it to Michigan State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for a Canine Vaccine Antibody Panel, which will titer the sample, in other words, measure the concentration of antibodies in the sample to determine if your pup now has immunity to these diseases. If the titer is positive, you can call it done. If the titer shows insufficient immunity to either parvovirus, distemper, or rabies, your vet will need to booster these vaccinations.
Unless you board your dog in crowded conditions, I would forego vaccinating it against kennel cough. Unless you live in a warm, wet, tropical climate, I would also forego vaccinating it against leptospirosis. In the colder parts of North America, heartworm medication is unnecessary. Even in the warmer Southeast, it need not be given every month. See pages 89–90 of Pukka’s Promise for full details.
A rabies vaccination for canids is required every three years in virtually everywhere in the United States, but other vaccinations are not. If your dog continues to show positive titers for parvovirus and distemper, it’s a waste of money, and an unnecessary challenge to your dog’s immune system, to vaccinate it every year. If your vet pressures you to do so, find a new vet. Ontario requires resident dogs to be vaccinated against rabies; in other provinces a rabies vaccination is optional.
Genetics
If you're looking for a new dog, and are getting it from a breeder, take a close look at the dog's family tree, finding out how long its ancestors lived and what they died of. Use Rodney Habib’s and Dr. Karen Becker’s "Twenty Questions to Ask A Prospective Breeder" to judge the breeder’s dedication to producing healthy, long-lived dogs: https://foreverdog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Twenty-Questions-to-Ask-a-Prospective-Breeder.pdf.
Spaying and Neutering
There is a growing body of scientific evidence showing that spayed and neutered dogs have higher incidences of some cancers, orthopaedic injuries, incontinence, obesity, and behavioral problems than intact dogs or dogs who have received alternative forms of canine birth control: ovary-sparing spays or vasectomies. Consider leaving your dog intact or giving it one of these two forms of birth. To find a vet who performs ovary-sparing spays or vasectomies, see this state by-state and provincial listing: https://www.parsemus.org/project/hormone-sparing-sterilization-procedures/.
Many vets will recommend spaying all female dogs not used for breeding, since removing her ovaries almost completely eliminates her risk of her developing mammary cancer. However, the risk of developing mammary cancer is breed-dependent. Some breeds, like English Spring Spaniels and Boxers, have a very high risk; Labrador and Golden Retrievers a medium risk; and Bernese Mountain Dogs and Newfoundlands a very low risk. For a table showing the risks of each of 53 breeds, see page 114 of Agneta Egenvall, et al., “Incidence of and survival after mammary tumors in a population of over 80,000 insured female dogs in Sweden from 1995 to 2002”:
Helpful Links: "Long-Term Health Risks and Benefits Associated with Spay/Neuter in Dogs", by Laura J. Sanborn
Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation - Ovaries & Longevity
A good scientific overview on spay/neuter
To find a vet that performs ovary-sparing spays or vasectomies, see this state-by-state and provincial listing. Not all states and provinces are listed, as we were unable to find vets who perform these procedures in every state and province.
Prevention
Run your hands over your dog every day. The instant you feel a lump take your dog to your vet and get the lump aspirated and an analysis made of its contents. If your veterinarians says, "Let's watch it," find a new vet. Tens of thousands of dogs needlessly die of cancer each year because their humans "watched" a lump that could have been easily removed before the cancer metastasized.
What do I do if my dog gets cancer?
When humans get cancer, they seek specialized care. So, too, should it be with dogs. To find a canine oncologist in your area search the Pet Cancer Center Website: https://www.petcancercenter.org/Veterinary_Oncologists_US_p1.html#CO
