BOTTLE BABIES

'Tis the season for orphaned animals... 

 We have been doing wildlife rehab for years.  I've raised countless deer, squirrels, raccoon, owl, coyote, bunnies and foxes.  Not to mention, I did my fair share of reviving many puppies and kittens as a vet tech over the years.


You may be doing more harm than good if you don't take care of an orphan properly.  Whether it's kittens, raccoons, puppies or bunnies, here are some things you need to know.

1.  Warmth before food.  If you find an orphaned animal fallen from a tree after a storm and it's wet and cold, it's not going to eat.  You need to get its body temperature up FIRST.  Wrapping the orphan in a thin t shirt and holding it next to your body is a great heat source and will be very close to its natural body temp.  
When you go to bed, place the orphan in an open container with a thin layer of bedding it can burrow into (like a small towel) and place ONLY the CORNER of the container on a heating pad set on LOW.  This will allow the orphan to move closer to or further from the heat source.  Heating pads vary in temp and its really easy to kill an orphan by over heating.

2.  Orphans get hypoglycemic quickly and will be too lethargic to eat.  If you force feed them, they will choke and die.  You can easily raise blood sugar levels by dipping a cotton swab in honey and wiping it inside the cheek.  The very vascular membranes of the mouth will quickly absorb the sugar.  Once is enough.  Spiking the blood sugar can be as harmful as low blood sugar.  Once the orphan's blood glucose has risen, it's appetite will usually kick in.

3.  THIS is how baby animals eat- NOT ON THEIR BACKS!  All it takes is one inhaled drop of milk into the lungs for the orphan to get pneumonia and die.  If you'd like to experiment- lay on your back and drink a bottle of Pepsi.
*  Hint: you will choke.

4.  Here is proper hand positioning for bottle feeding.  Place the orphan belly down on your palm..  Put its head between your first and middle fingers.  This will allow you to steady it, but also be able to see if it's drinking.


5.  Stimulation:  mom licks the babies while they are nursing.  It's not just a bath.  The movement of her tongue on their bodies stimulates digestion.  You HAVE TO do the same thing until they can potty on their own.  Use a tissue or soft paint brush to wipe the whole body especially under the tail.  Be gentle.  Be ready for a mess.  But above all, keep the belly DOWN!   
If your orphan does cough, lower it's head below its body and allow those milk bubbles to run out.

If you are taking care of wildlife until you can get it to the proper people, call your veterinarian and ask for milk replacers and feeding schedule that are similar to the same age puppy or kitten.  Most species of animals open their eyes between 10-14 days.  If the orphan you have still has its eyes closed, it is very vulnerable to every problem there is.  Be careful.  Don't be a hero.  Get it to a professional!

Reminder:  wild life are not pets.  It is illegal to keep them.  Contact your local Wild Life Rehab or the DNR! 

and speaking of Valentine's Day - ARE YOU AND YOUR DOG ENGAGED???

Whenever I am working with a dog in our training area and open the door, this is my view...
My dogs line up HOPING and PRAYING that it's their turn next!  

    If you've ever seen me work my dogs or anyone else's, you can testify that I have very high expectations for compliance.  I have a very clear, consistent rule: Compliance will get a reward every time and defiance will get a consequence every time.
So how come they don't hate me???  How come they would do ANYTHING for me?

     The answer is simple- it's ENGAGEMENT!  The first lesson I teach any dog is to engage me- make eye contact- ask me "WHAT???" 
 I'm not into intimidation or threats.  It's just a simple rule:  Good things come from making an effort to understand and communicate with me.

Lesson #1 with an 8 week old puppy begins with engagement.  Sure Pup, you are allowed to wander off and sniff things, but.... LOOK WHAT I HAVE!!!!!  (ball!  treats!  excitement!)
Any time the puppy interacts with me, even if it's a quick drive by, I praise them.  I'm silent when they don't want to be around me.  I won't beg for their attention.  But I will REWARD the heck out of it.

Next step is the Name Game.  It's simple.  Say the dog's name and if he makes any effort to look your way, you reward it.  I toss a treat or ball and go crazy every time the dog responds to his name.  No commands are given.  I don't make him "Come here" for reward.  I don't make him "Sit."  All I ask is to look at me and throw reward at him.  SIMPLE, huh?

Why?  Because communication begins with eye contact!  If we don't look, we don't acknowledge.  We don't respond.  If you have teenagers, you already understand.  
I advance and graduate the game by making finding my eyes more challenging.  Sitting on a five gallon bucket or a swivel chair and turning away from the dog makes it a fun challenge for the dog to come find my eye contact.  
Later, I might add tempting distractions like food or toy on a table and go ballistic when they choose to look to me instead.

This ENGAGEMENT is the basic foundation for every discipline, whether you're training the next world champion dock diver or need the family pupster to stop barking at squirrels.  It all begins with a relationship that is the best thing going.
    I want my dogs to anticipate and hope for a command, because it carries a huge opportunity for reward!
   So, are you and your dog engaged?
 If your answer is "well, yes, if I have a cookie" then that's all you need.  You have a reward system in place, now just be clear and consistent and teach your dog how to earn it.  By ENGAGING!

SERVICE DOG ETIQUETTE

I almost always have a Service Dog at my side- whether it is my own personal dog that helps me with seizures, mobility and balance, or a dog that I am training, and I am always appalled at the reaction of people around me.  So, here are some guidelines to help you understand the role of a Service Dog and how you should respond to one.  



    The super power of the Service Dog is in their ability to recognize when things are "off" with their handler.

They can detect heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, mental status, blood sugar, pheromones and many other body functions when they are connected.

    However, many factors can interrupt the dog's ability to recognize and alert to change.  That is why it is so important for anyone in the area to be respectful of a Service Dog team and avoid distracting them at all cost.

    Never- EVER interact with a Service Dog.  

*The first reason being, that you will distract his attention away from his handler and he might miss a life saving signal.  

*The second is that a large part of a Service Dog's training is to only concentrate on his human.  Dogs selected to be Service Dogs have to be naturally friendly, so in many cases, a large part of their training has had to be teaching them to not socialize while on duty  Think of a Greyhound bus driver barreling down the highway at 60mph.  If you were on that bus, would you want the driver looking around and talking to everyone on the bus???  No!  Eyes on the road!

    

    You also need to remember that Service Dogs are still dogs.  They are sensitive to everything around them.  So you need to be careful not to step on, bump or startle them.  Dogs are low to the ground so anything happening above them can be frightening.  Dropping luggage, a purse or a backpack near them might frighten them the same as it would if we had something drop off of a high shelf past our head.  If a Service Dog feels threatened in a space, he might become more concerned with his own safety, rather than that of his handler.

   

A Service Dog team is a relationship that strengthens with time.  You can help that process by being respectful.  While some handlers might appreciate a compliment directed to them, like telling them their dog is pretty, still,  for the most part, people with disabilities just want to navigate through their day like everyone else and not constantly be pointed out or made to feel different.

   Lastly, remember that not all disabilities are visible.  Don't try to examine the handler and figure out what his disability is.  That's none of your business!

If you were picking up a prescription at the drug store and someone came over and tried to read the label to find out what was wrong with you, how would you feel???

   I have actually had clients who were reluctant to take their Service Dogs in public because of the reactions they get from lookey-lou's.  That is so unfortunate and unacceptable!

 Learn to coexist with Service Dog teams by being kind, considerate and respectful.  If your children are curious, it's an awesome opportunity to teach them how Service Dogs help people, but do it privately- don't point and explain loudly- "Look!  A Service Dog!  We can't pet him right now because he is helping his mommy."

...... yeahhhh that happens constantly.  Grrrrrrrrrr