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Latest Whole Dog Journal out!

Karlin

Administrator
Staff member
Contents of this always excellent magazine:

ADOPTING AN OLDER DOG
You've adopted a new adult dog into your family. Congratulations! As you search for information to help you help your new furry family member adjust to this difficult transition in his life (change is hard!), you may discover that there are lots of resources for new puppy owners, but for new adult-dog owners, not so much. Where do you begin? We've compiled a list of suggestions to help make life with your new dog easier for all concerned. His first few weeks with you set the tone for your lifelong relationship. If you follow these time-tested protocols, you're more likely to experience smooth sailing - or at least smoother sailing - with your recycled Rover, who may arrive at your door with some baggage from his prior life experiences. We hope you've made wise plans and decisions before your new canine pal sets paws through your door for the first time. But even if he's already camped out on your sofa, it's not too late to play catch-up with many of the suggestions that follow.

CALENDULA: HERB OF THE YEAR
Picture a flower with such intense orange or yellow petals that it brightens moods and gardens both. Give it significant healing properties for internal and external application, then add a zesty flavor that makes it a culinary herb as well. Calendula officinalis (pronounced cal-EN-du-la) fits all of these descriptions and more. No wonder it’s been named 2008 Herb of the Year by the International Herb Association. This cheerful plant belongs in your garden and in your herbal medicine kit for the benefit of every member of your family – especially your dog. Vermont herbalist Rosemary Gladstar treasures calendula. “I love how beautiful it is,” she says, “with its golden head rising forth in the garden, a bit of sun on earth. In early winter, this brave little bright light is often the last flower to bloom in my gardens. I’ve often seen it rising out of a fresh dusting of winter snow. I also love it, of course, because of its medicinal power. Calendula tea or tincture is my favorite herbal treatment for lymph system support, and used externally it is an awesome healing aid for every type of skin condition.”

THE DANGERS OF VINYL DOG TOYS
A few years ago, I bought a special bed to help Caleb, my Bouvier des Flandres, live more comfortably with his arthritis. When filled with water, it was supposed to provide him with a cool and supportive cushion. It sounded great. I looked forward to giving the bed to Caleb. But the moment I took it out of the box, it gave off a powerful odor. Even the cardboard box smelled of it. The odor was so intense that I had to back away from it. Within minutes, the sharp, distinctive smell penetrated my entire house. I wondered whether the bed might be outgassing industrial chemicals, although I didn't know at the time exactly what kind they might be. What I did know was that my sensitive nose couldn't stand the smell - and if I couldn't stand to inhale around the bed, I certainly wasn't going to let Caleb snooze on it! So I whisked the bed outside to the front porch, hoping that passing breezes and ultraviolet rays from the sun would diffuse the source of the odor so that I could bring it back inside and give it to my guy. But it smelled as bad a week later as it had on Day One. Following my intuition that such a thing was not good for us, I took it back for a refund.

MIXED-AGED DOG PACKS
Can older dogs and younger dogs live happily together? Will a puppy bounding around (and possibly on) the arthritic body of an older dog encourage her to be more active, bringing energy and vitality during senior years? Or will the perfectly normal antics of a young dog aggravate and stress what should be a time of happy retirement for a senior dog? If you’ve lived with an older dog, you’ve probably heard someone at some point recommend getting a puppy or younger dog. The advice may be something like, “It will keep your older dog young,” or “The new puppy can learn from your older dog." While you will likely find some truth in both statements, the opposite may also hold true. Your older dog could be stressed or exhausted by a younger dog. Your young dog will certainly learn from your older dog, but the lessons may not be those you would like to be passed from one generation to the next.
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