Gardening with dogs, some safety tips from the Dogs Trust

• Make sure that your fence and gate is high enough and secure enough. Most dogs will not be able to scale a 6 ft fence, but this can depend on breed and how determined your dog is to escape.
• Make sure there are no broken/unsafe parts to your fence/other garden furniture, such as no protruding sharp edges and no nails sticking out.
• Store chemicals and sharp tools safely, out of reach or locked in the shed, garage or outbuilding. Garden chemicals such as pesticides and fertilisers will make him very ill if eaten. Oils, paints and antifreeze are also very harmful. Pets are very attracted to antifreeze in particular and will lick it up if you forget to mop up any spills.
• Most slug pellets are poisonous to pets and could kill. Use pet friendly alternatives such as beer traps or try to encourage frogs into your garden to eat them. Ant killer gels and powders and rat poisons should only be used where your dog cannot get to them.
• Cocoa husks or mulch used in borders and around plants to discourage weeds is very attractive to dogs, who will eat it in large quantities. However, this contains theobromine (the same dangerous chemical found in chocolate), is very poisonous and can be fatal. Use an alternative such as bark chippings or gravel.
• Keep all rubbish/recycling bins securely closed.
• Make sure that ponds or pools are covered so that a young dog or puppy cannot fall in and drown.
• Be careful not to leave gates open.
• There are several poisonous plants that could affect your dog if he is partial to eating greenery. Here is just a selection of those to be wary about. Remove them if possible or restrict access to them: Azalea, Buttercup, Castor bean, Daffodil bulbs, dumb cane, false hellebore, foxglove, holly berries, Laburnum, Lily of the valley, Lobelia, Mistletoe berries, Moonseed, Narcissus, Oleander, Philodendron, Rhododendron, Rhubarb leaves, wild cherry tree, Wisteria, Yew.
• To download a more extensive list of poisonous plants and substances found in the home please click HERE

The bottom line part 3 - signs to watch for

Characteristics of Diarrhea

Color	Likely Cause	Likely Location
Yellowish or greenish	Rapid transit	Small bowel
Black, tarry	Upper GI bleeding	Stomach or small bowel
Red blood or clots	Lower GI bleeding	Colon clots
Pasty, light	Lack of bile	Liver
Large, gray, rancid	Inadequate digestion	Small bowel or absorption

Consistency	Likely Cause	Likely Location
Watery	Rapid transit	Small bowel
Foamy	Bacterial infection	Small bowel
Greasy, often with oily hair around the anus	Malabsorption	Small bowel, pancreas
Glistening or jellylike	Constains mucus	Colon

Odor	Likely Cause	Likely Location
Foodlike, or smelling like sour milk	Rapid transit and inadequate digestion or absorption (suggests overfeeding, especially in puppies)	Small bowel
Rancid or foul	Inadequate digestion with fermentation	Small bowel, pancreas

Frequency	Likely Cause	Likely Location
Several small stools in an hour, with straining	Colitis	Colon
Three or four large stools in a day	Inadequate digestion or absorption	Small bowel, pancreas

Condition of the Dog	Likely Cause	Likely Location
Weight loss	Inadequate digestion or absorption	Small bowel, pancreas
No weight loss, normal appetite	Large bowel disorder	Colon
Vomiting	Enteritis	Small bowel, rarely colon

A vet's eye view of the benefits of neutering

WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS TO THE DOG?

There are several health benefits to neutering, both medical and behavioural. One of the most important concerns the prostate gland, which under the influence of testosterone will gradually enlarge over the course of the dog’s life. 


With age, it is likely to become uncomfortable, possibly being large enough to interfere w/defecation. The prostate under the influence of testosterone is also predisposed to infection which is almost impossible to clear up without neutering. Neutering causes the prostate to shrink into insignificance thus preventing both prostatitis as well as the uncomfortable benign hyperplasia (enlargement) that occurs with aging. It is often erroneously held that neutering prevents prostate cancer but this is not true.


Other health benefits of neutering include the prevention of certain types of hernias and tumours of the testicles and anus. Excessive preputial discharge is also reduced by neutering.

WHAT BEHAVIORAL CHANGES CAN BE EXPECTED AFTER NEUTERING?

The only behavior changes that are observed after neutering relate to behaviors influenced by male hormones. 


Playfulness, friendliness, and socialization with humans are not changed. The behaviors that change are far less desirable. 

• Interest in roaming is eliminated in 90% of neutered dogs. 

(Male dogs can sense females in heat through pheromones. These are airborne chemical attractants that are liberated from the female when she is cycling. They travel through the air for great distances. If dogs are neutered at an early age, they will not sense or respond to pheromones, and would certainly be less stressed and tend to stay home.)

• Aggressive behavior against other male dogs is eliminated in 60% of neutered dogs. 
• Urine marking is eliminated in 50% of neutered male dogs. 
• Inappropriate mounting is eliminated in 70% of neutered dogs. 

An additional behavioral advantage occurs when you are training or working your dog, or using him for field work. If neutered, he will be a much better student with a much longer attention span when there are females nearby that are in heat. This is because he will not be constantly distracted by pheromonal stimuli.

WHAT EXACTLY IS DONE SURGICALLY?

An incision is made generally just forward from the scrotum. The testicles are removed through this incision. The stalks are tied off and cut. Castration is achieved. If the testicles are not removed, the desirable benefits listed above cannot be realized. The skin incision may or may not have stitches.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT UPON DISCHARGE FROM THE HOSPITAL?

The scrotum is often swollen in the first few days after surgery, leading some people to wonder if the procedure was really performed. If the dog is immature at the time of neutering, the empty scrotum will flatten out as he grows. If he is mature at the time of neuter, the empty scrotum will remain as a flap of skin. Sometimes the incision is mildly bruised. Most male dogs are eager to play by the day after surgery but, to keep the incision intact, it is best to restrict the dog from boistrous activity.

AT WHAT AGE CAN NEUTERING BE PERFORMED?

Neutering can be performed at any age over age 8 weeks provided both testicles have descended. Dogs neutered before puberty (generally age 6 months) tend to grow a bit bigger than dogs neutered after puberty (testosterone is involved in the causing bones to stop growing so without testosterone the bones stop growing later). The same behavior and prostate health benefits can be realized no matter what age the dog is. (In other words, a dog does not become "too old" to obtain the same health and behavioral benefits of neutering.)


The traditional age for neutering is around 6 months of age and many veterinarians still recommend neutering at this age.

WILL HE GET OVER-WEIGHT OR LETHARGIC?

Activity level and appetite do not change with neutering. A male dog should not gain weight or become less interested in activity post neuter.

WHAT IF A DOG HAS AN UNDESCENDED TESTICLE?

Undescended testicles have an increased tendency to grow tumors. They may also twist on their stalks and cause life-threatening inflammation. For these reasons, neutering is recommended for dogs with undescended testicles. This procedure is more complicated than a routine neuter; the missing testicle can be under the skin along the path it should have descended to the scrotum or it may be inside the abdomen. Some exploration may be needed to find it thus there is often an incision for each testicle. The retained testicle is sterile and under-developed. If there is one descended testicle, this one will be fertile but since retaining a testicle is a hereditary trait, it is important that the male dog not be bred before he is neutered.

Humping in male dogs

Humping or mounting is one of the most commonly seen sexual behaviours in dogs. While both female and male and neutered and unneutered dog may mount one another in play there is a clear difference between the mounting that lasts briefly in a bout of energetic wrestling and the determined mounting of the unneutered male.


Many owners find such behaviour embarrassing or even funny but few view it as a serious problem.  Here at 4Paws Outdoors we consider it to be a problem behaviour when it is sustained and when it aggravates other dogs. There are some entire males who will given the opportunity spend the entire day clamped onto another dog. This is understandably irritating for the recipient and can ultimately lead to squabbles and injury.


The main reason for mounting is as displaced sexual behavior analogous to masturbation. This is often seen in puppies who have a favourite toy they like to mount. This also helps to explain why it can be hard to break the habit in determined humpers as the dog has learnt that it is a gratifying behaviour. The longer the period of time that a dog is allowed to display sexual traits such as mounting the greater the likelihood that such behaviours will become habits.


Excessive humping is an irritating and antisocial trait which can best be resolved by neutering at an appropriate time during adolescence. 

To snip or not to snip - the neutering debate

Here at 4Paws Outdoors we don't have a blanket ban on accepting unneutered dogs. However almost without exception we find entire male dogs that visit have some antisocial behaviours. Most typically these are the following:

• Aggression
• Marking indoors on furniture
• Mounting/Humping
• Straying
• Excessive barking/howling when stimulated

Depending on the severity of these behaviours we may allow an unneutered dog to continue visiting us. All too often however, these behaviours are unsettling for the other dogs in the group.


Nowadays most responsible dog owners are aware of the benefits of neutering as soon as a dog hits adolescence. By doing this you not only reduce the risk of your dog developing a number of diseases you also reduce the risk of him developing undesirable habits such as those listed above.


Despite the overwhelming evidence in favour of neutering male dogs there remain some owners who are against it. Typically these people have old fashioned views as to why their dog shouldn't be neutered, among the most common are:

• My dog will lose his personality
• My dog will get fat
• I want my dog to have a sex life
• I want to breed from my dog
• I wouldn't want to be neutered

All of these arguments show a lack of understanding of canine development and behaviour and are the mark of an ignorant owner. Dogs have developed over time to be in a permanent puppy like state - this is what allowed them to co-exist with humans unlike wolves for example. Consequently allowing a dog to be unneutered is a bit like having a permanently hormone fuelled teenage boy around. The domestic dog is never going to be able to develop beyond this state.


Similarly the arguments that neutering produces a fat, dull dog are unfounded. Neutering itself will not make a dog put on weight, only too much food and too little exercise can do this. A neutered dog will also not become a dull, characterless shadow of its former self. A neutered dog is a calmer more rounded animal without the constant ups and down that raging levels of testosterone can produce.


The owner who says they want their dog to enjoy a sex life is again failing to understand a fundamental difference between dogs and humans. Dogs, like most animals, are incapable of controlling their sexual urges and do not get gratification in the way that humans do. By encouraging your dog to have a sex life you are merely increasing the likelihood of unwanted puppies and putting your dog at risk of disease and ill health.


Many owners have a vague notion that they would like their beloved pet to produce a litter of puppies. Few however are aware of the dangers and difficulties involved in breeding. While your dog may be the apple of your eye are you sure that it has no hereditary illnesses? Are you willing for it to undergo the relevant screening to establish that it is healthy enough to breed? Breeding is an expensive, emotional process and not something that should be entered into lightly. Plus there is no guarantee that you will manage to produce a dog as lovely as your own - that possibility is more in the realms of cloning!