The Dog Health Newsletter: Volume 6


	ASK DR. SCHELLING DEAR DR. SCHELLING, I've noticed a lot of brown spots popping up on my lawn and my husband says it's from lawn burn caused by our dog's urine. What is in my dog's urine that causes the grass to turn brown? Is there any way I can prevent the lawn burn from happening? – Dreaming of Green Grass
Dear Dreaming, Lawn burn can be a frustrating part of landscaping and is often common in households with dogs. Understanding the causes and techniques to correct or prevent lawn burn will be your best defense. A fellow veterinarian, Dr. Steve Thompson, has written an article with the answers to your burning question. Learn more about lawn burn in this article, written by Dr. Thompson: Understanding, Treating, and Preventing "Lawn Burn" from Dog Urine. Here are a few summary points from Dr. Thompson's article. But I encourage you to read the full article as there is much more information presented and it is very interesting. The cause of the brown spots is the nitrogen concentration in the urine. Nitrogen is a waste product eliminated by the body via urine and feces. The high nitrogen content, in effect, over-fertilizes the area of the lawn. The problem is more common with female dogs as they tend to squat and eliminate all their urine in one spot rather than engage in marking – leaving small amounts in a variety of places – as male dogs often tend to do. pH does not seem to be a factor in lawn burn; therefore acidifying or alkalinizing the urine is probably not going to help. Moreover, messing with your dog's pH can lead to certain health problems. More water consumption will help dilute the nitrogen concentration and therefore decrease the amount of lawn burn. Feeding a high quality, highly digestible protein source may help decrease the amount of nitrogen waste being eliminated. Train your dog to eliminate in a certain area. Tips for training are detailed in the full article. Diluting the area with water after urination (up to about eight hours after elimination) will help prevent lawn burn. Click here to read full article

Dear Max, I love being outdoors and exercising, but always feel guilty when I leave my dog behind while I'm out on a run. What can I do include my dog in my workout routine? – Guilty Runner … … … … Dear Guilty,
You're in luck. In most cases, including your dog in your workout is easy, since we dogs love being outdoors and exercising too. Exercising with my human always makes me happy: I'm getting a great workout, being outdoors is always fun, and I get to have some extra bonding time with my favorite human. But there are a few crucial things you'll need to consider before you leash up your dog for a run. For example, it's best to leave some dogs at home and take them for a walk, rather than a run. In addition, you have to exercise caution when exercising with your dog; for example, watch your pace, especially at first, and give your dog sufficient water. In fact, one of the first steps you should take is consulting with your veterinarian, to come up with a running plan that will work well for both you and your dog. There's much more information in this article: Running with Your Dog. Click here to read full article Max


Max's Mini-Reviews HYDRO-GO PET CANTEEN : Whenever I'm out on walks, camping or going on a road trip with the humans the Hydro-Go comes along too. It holds water to keep me hydrated after a long walk and can become two bowls in one, giving me space to eat and drink . . . it's like having all of the comforts of home on the go. The best part is that none of the water that is poured out of the canteen will go to waste, because the bowl into which the water is poured has a funnel, making it easy for my human to clean up and save water for my next break. … … … … FOOL-A-BUG BOWL: This bowl does just what it says. It confounds those pesky bugs that used to always get in my old bowl and ruin my meals. The bowl is designed to keep the creepy crawlies out so when I'm trying to enjoy a meal outside I don't have to worry about ants, slugs or any other kind of bug or bug-like creature getting in my way. Any dog who likes to take meals outside when the weather is nice needs this bowl. … … … …


What topics would you like to see covered in future issues of the Dog Health Newsletter? Let us know at: comments@doghealthnewsletter.com
DOG FACT Another reason to hang onto that loose change: Pennies minted after 1983 can be toxic to dogs if ingested because of their high amount of zinc. The stomach acid of the dog can erode the copper of the penny, leaving behind the zinc center. Zinc toxicity in a dog can result from the dog ingesting as few as three pennies.		TO QUOTE: "A dog wags its tail with its heart" – Martin Buxbaum

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