Chasing Golden Shadows
Transcript for:
Chasing Golden Shadows MR. SAM LITZINGER
12:43:34
I'm Sam Litzinger back with Dr. Gary Weitzman, the chief executive officer of the Washington Animal Rescue League. We want to hear about your four-legged friends at 1-877-610-3647. Animalhouse@wamu.org is our email address. Again, the telephone number is 877-610-3647, email animalhouse@wamu.org. I guess they don't have to be four-legged friends.
DR. GARY WEITZMAN
12:43:56
I was just thinking that. I don't know -- I don't remember you saying that before, and I've got a three-legged dog. (laugh) I can't call in.
LITZINGER
12:44:02
Your dog can call in, it's no problem. Our animal of the day quiz is on facebook.com/wamuanimalhouse. Let's start off with an email question from Sarah. I think other dog owners might have similar problems during the big Super Bowl weekend. "For the last couple of years, our eight-year-old Border Collie, Birdie, gets terribly anxious when my husband watches sports on TV." We've had a similar question.
WEITZMAN
12:44:23
Yeah, we have.
LITZINGER
12:44:24
"He's not a loud sports fan," the husband is, presumably, "but any display of reaction to the game gets Birdie in a fit, jumping on his lap, digging at him, staring, and looking concerned.
WEITZMAN
12:44:34
Oh.
LITZINGER
12:44:34
Not even the best treat sways her. What is up?"
WEITZMAN
12:44:37
Yeah. This is a dog reacting to the enthusiasm of the crowd.
LITZINGER
12:44:40
Right.
WEITZMAN
12:44:40
So I would say by all means do not bring Birdie to the game. (laugh) Don't do that.
LITZINGER
12:44:45
Okay. We can cross that right off the -- no season...
WEITZMAN
12:44:47
Yeah. Don't go out there.
LITZINGER
12:44:48
No season tickets for Birdie, okay.
WEITZMAN
12:44:49
No. No season tickets.
LITZINGER
12:44:50
Okay.
WEITZMAN
12:44:51
It's interesting. I wonder why it doesn't happen more often, because they are gonna react to us, and we know dogs react to even nuance in our expressions. They can read us better than we can read us. They're gonna really get excited if we get overly excited about a game. I...
LITZINGER
12:45:03
Because presumably the dog is not making the causal connection here saying...
WEITZMAN
12:45:07
Oh, no.
LITZINGER
12:45:08
...okay, he is watching the television set. Something on the television set is making him excited...
WEITZMAN
12:45:12
(laugh) Exactly.
LITZINGER
12:45:13
Yeah. That's not happening.
WEITZMAN
12:45:14
Yeah. Think of it from a dog's perspective, staring up at the owner lovingly, and then the owner just explodes...
LITZINGER
12:45:19
(laugh) Right.
WEITZMAN
12:45:19
...the Doritos go everywhere….
LITZINGER
12:45:20
Touchdown, yeah.
WEITZMAN
12:45:21
...the beer is on the wall.
LITZINGER
12:45:22
Yeah, right.
WEITZMAN
12:45:23
Yeah. So a dog's gonna be alarmed. I would do some classical conditioning here if he really wants to -- or she really wants to take care of this, and I'd say let's start with just making that humans facing the TV set, sitting on the La-Z Boy, I assume, or the sofa. Let's just sprinkle the entire environment with treats so that that dog is always associating that experience with treats and a good thing, nothing to be alarmed at.
LITZINGER
12:45:46
All right.
WEITZMAN
12:45:47
And that's gonna probably take a couple weeks, and then I'd say take some of the responsibility off of the dog and maybe if they can, temper some of this enthusiasm just a little bit. Hey, there's gotta be a team out there that nobody explodes over, so maybe switch your alliance to...
LITZINGER
12:46:01
All the teams I root for are like that.
WEITZMAN
12:46:03
Yeah, me too. It's just something...
LITZINGER
12:46:04
Oh, it's another failure for my team.
WEITZMAN
12:46:06
I know.
LITZINGER
12:46:06
And then the dog would say, well, no problem here.
WEITZMAN
12:46:08
Yeah. This is not exciting at all.
LITZINGER
12:46:09
This is really boring.
WEITZMAN
12:46:10
But let's make it a comfortable, happy experience, and nothing to be alarmed about.
LITZINGER
12:46:14
That's very good advice on that.
WEITZMAN
12:46:15
Let's just hope that his enthusiasm doesn't spread to the hockey season too.
LITZINGER
12:46:20
Let's take another telephone call. Our first one of this segment. 1-877-610-3647 is our phone number. Our email address is animalhouse@wamu.org. This is Alyssa calling. Alyssa, glad to you have you with us in "The Animal House." Question for Dr. Gary?
ALYSSA
12:46:34
Yeah. I have a two-year-old Golden Retriever named Banner, and for the last six months he's been obsessed with chasing light reflections and shadows.
WEITZMAN
12:46:43
Oh.
ALYSSA
12:46:43
He's been doing this ever since just twice that we took one of those laser pens out and played with it on the wall. He went berserk and loved it.
WEITZMAN
12:46:51
Really? Okay.
ALYSSA
12:46:52
And when I realized he was getting so obsessed and sort of like overstimulated, we stopped doing that.
WEITZMAN
12:46:57
Ah, okay.
ALYSSA
12:46:58
But ever since then, the slightest shadow, he'll stare at a wall.
LITZINGER
12:47:01
Oh.
ALYSSA
12:47:01
He thinks the shadow is coming back.
LITZINGER
12:47:03
You've created a monster now on this. Yeah.
WEITZMAN
12:47:05
Huh.
ALYSSA
12:47:05
Yeah. Even when we go to the dog park he's more interested in the shadows than...
LITZINGER
12:47:08
Oh, boy.
WEITZMAN
12:47:09
Oh, okay. You know, and I wonder what came first, actually. So, did you only play the laser game with him once?
ALYSSA
12:47:16
It was like twice. It was like last August.
WEITZMAN
12:47:18
Okay. I don't think you caused it. I'm not a hundred percent sure.
LITZINGER
12:47:22
Hmm.
WEITZMAN
12:47:22
But I don't think you caused it. There are dogs out there that are absolutely fixated on light and movement of light.
ALYSSA
12:47:28
Yeah.
WEITZMAN
12:47:29
And we think it's a form of epilepsy as a matter of fact, like a temporal lobe kind of thing. Now, I'm not sure if that's what the neurologists in our field would call it anymore, but that's one of the theories that we were going on, and it actually is something that is stimulating part of their brains because the light and the changes in the light, and a lot of dogs will do things like jumping up in the air and snapping at light...
ALYSSA
12:47:50
Yeah.
WEITZMAN
12:47:50
...or being absolutely fixated on it, and in a way, if it's not epilepsy, then it may simply be another kind of obsessive...
LITZINGER
12:47:59
Compulsive?
WEITZMAN
12:47:59
Obsessive compulsive disorder. And I would say, first of all, start with your vet and make sure you talk to him or her about what's happening...
ALYSSA
12:48:05
Okay.
WEITZMAN
12:48:06
...because we have a lot of documentation on dogs reacting like this to light movement, and especially Goldens. You know, Goldens were our poster dogs for epilepsy.
ALYSSA
12:48:14
Oh.
WEITZMAN
12:48:15
Those dogs are the ones that we think are very susceptible to it. Talk to your vet about that, and make sure that it's nothing else. Now, the good news is, it doesn't tend to progress to anything terrible.
ALYSSA
12:48:24
Yeah.
WEITZMAN
12:48:25
So that's good. But the bad thing is, you don't want your dog fixated on light and not fixated on you and having a normal life. So at the very least it's an OCD disorder, and there are medications out there that we put them on right now that can actually really nip this in the bud.
ALYSSA
12:48:38
Oh.
WEITZMAN
12:48:38
So I would say your next job after you get off of this call with Sam and me is to talk to your vet and get an appointment and tell him or her what's going on.
ALYSSA
12:48:45
Okay.
WEITZMAN
12:48:46
And then go from there, and then definitely don't play that game anymore, and then let's try to redirect that dog to doing different behaviors than just looking at the light shifting.
LITZINGER
12:48:55
Yeah. And please report back to us, Alyssa. I'd be curious to hear what the vet has to say about this and where we go from here.
WEITZMAN
12:49:00
Mm-hmm.
ALYSSA
12:49:00
Okay. I will do that.
LITZINGER
12:49:01
Unusual case.
WEITZMAN
12:49:02
Aww, poor Banner.
LITZINGER
12:49:03
Yeah. Thanks Alyssa. Is there a test for that? I mean, how would...
WEITZMAN
12:49:06
No, not really.
LITZINGER
12:49:07
Yeah, okay.
WEITZMAN
12:49:07
No. Well, I guess there is. I guess, you know, we do do MRIs now, but...
LITZINGER
12:49:11
Right.
WEITZMAN
12:49:11
...you know, to be honest, I'm not sure that anything would necessarily show up...
LITZINGER
12:49:14
Show up, yeah.
WEITZMAN
12:49:14
...as it would necessarily for epilepsy either. But this would be something to start with the vet and then maybe get a referral to a neurologist and then just be done. Just know your dog is safe, that's it.
LITZINGER
12:49:24
But it's not Alyssa's fault.
WEITZMAN
12:49:25
No.
LITZINGER
12:49:25
1-877-610-3647. Animalhouse@wamu.org is our email address, and we have an email from Whitney. "I'm thinking about getting a hedgehog..."
WEITZMAN
12:49:34
Oh, boy.
LITZINGER
12:49:35
Says Whitney. (laugh) I love it when Gary reacts like that. "I have never owned a pet that required a cage before. Any advice on owning on hedgehog for the first time? I already know they're legal in my area to own." Huh?
WEITZMAN
12:49:48
Okay.
LITZINGER
12:49:48
"I also have a cat, but the research I've done leads me to believe that cats don't naturally look at hedgehogs as food." So presumably Whitney's hoping that the cat and the hedgehog would get along fine. Where are you on the issue of hedgehogs as pets?
WEITZMAN
12:49:59
Hmm, I'll bet you can guess. (laugh) Don't do that. You know, again, I'm really not a fan of non-domesticated animals becoming pets, so a hedgehog falls right in there for a couple reasons. First of all, if you have a cat, let's see, have you seen that series on Starz, "Spartacus"? I mean, whether your cat will eat the hedgehog or not, there's gonna be a battle, and hedgehogs, by the way, don't pet them until you're well-skilled in how to pet them, because they're quite prickly little creatures.
LITZINGER
12:50:23
Yes, they are.
WEITZMAN
12:50:24
Yeah. They really -- they're not petable necessarily.
LITZINGER
12:50:26
Not in terms of just their personality either. They're quite physically...
WEITZMAN
12:50:29
Well, yeah. I think they're actually docile and lovely personality wise, but..
LITZINGER
12:50:32
But you don't recommend that Whitney get a hedgehog?
WEITZMAN
12:50:33
No. You know, a couple things, you know. First of all, they're nocturnal too, so...
LITZINGER
12:50:37
Yeah.
WEITZMAN
12:50:37
You know, if you're gonna get a pet, and you're a human, I'd stick with a diurnal pet, not a nocturnal one. Secondly, you know, I don't think we should be encouraging these guys being captured. Then lastly is, you gotta feed them right. I think they like mealworms among other things.
LITZINGER
12:50:50
Who doesn't?
WEITZMAN
12:50:51
Well, mealworms are the best. But it's not the best pet in the world if you really want to have something to interact with. You've got to keep them in a cage, right there, that's a problem. And then again, the cat and the hedgehog mixture, that's...
LITZINGER
12:51:03
You're waiting for something bad to happen there, aren't you?
LITZINGER
12:51:04
I know. I know. I know. I hate to be the one to knock the ice cream off the cone here, but not my favorite idea for a pet.
LITZINGER
12:51:11
Sorry, Whitney, but you asked for his advice, and there it is. Don't get the hedgehog. Our telephone number is 877-610-3647. Our email address is animalhouse@wamu.org. Let's take a telephone call from Baya. Baya, glad to have you with us in "The Animal House." Question for Dr. Gary?
BAYA
12:51:27
So I just returned to the D.C. area from Kenya, using KLM, and I have a dog whose name is Diego, he's a wire-haired Dachshund, seven years old. This is the fourth time he goes back and forth, U.S. - Kenya, Kenya - U.S. et cetera.
WEITZMAN
12:51:44
Okay.
BAYA
12:51:44
(unintelligible)
WEITZMAN
12:51:45
He's a a frequent flyer.
LITZINGER
12:51:46
Yeah.
BAYA
12:51:47
Yeah, exactly. Unfortunately, they don't do it for dogs yet.
WEITZMAN
12:51:50
I know.
BAYA
12:51:51
But he seems very disoriented right now. At home we went from a big house with a garden, people around, to a two-bedroom apartment, and he's pretty much alone all day. So I'm wondering, one, can pets suffer from jetlag? Is that...
WEITZMAN
12:52:05
Oh, okay.
BAYA
12:52:06
...something that we need adjustment also, is that normal, and how to ease his discomfort, because I feel he's very lonely.
WEITZMAN
12:52:12
Oh, interesting.
LITZINGER
12:52:13
Oh, okay. Let's start with the first -- I don't think we've ever had a question about pet jetlag.
WEITZMAN
12:52:17
I don't think that happens. You know, first of all, I think there's probably something different than jetlag going on. I assume, Baya, did you have to put him in cargo?
BAYA
12:52:24
Yes. He had to go through cargo.
WEITZMAN
12:52:25
Oh, even a little Dachshund?
BAYA
12:52:27
Yes. Because intercontinental flights they have to go to cargo.
WEITZMAN
12:52:30
Oh, okay. I didn't know that. Interesting. Well, that in itself can be a stressful situation, so how long ago was it that you flew him?
BAYA
12:52:38
We just returned about 12 days ago...
WEITZMAN
12:52:41
Okay.
BAYA
12:52:41
...and if I can add something, Dr. Gary, in KLM, which is why I use it, when they go through Amsterdam, they have a pet hotel. So for a small fee, they'll take the dog out, walk him around, clean the crate, and then give them food and water.
WEITZMAN
12:52:54
Oh, fantastic.
BAYA
12:52:54
So that's good.
WEITZMAN
12:52:55
Okay. I think it's really got nothing to do with the flight. Now, I don't know for sure, but I do think it's the change in his environment now that you're back home in D.C., or I don't know if you're here for a long amount of time, or you're gonna end up going back to Nairobi, but I think that -- you said it yourself, he's in a smaller environment, he's alone during the day. I think probably a lot of that has something to do with it, but tell me first, what's he actually doing?
BAYA
12:53:18
He's very mellow, like he's lost the spunk. When we did it before, each time we came back here, he has had time to adjust, sometimes several months. Right now I think the cold weather affects him...
WEITZMAN
12:53:30
Yeah.
BAYA
12:53:30
...because it was warm in Nairobi...
WEITZMAN
12:53:30
Yeah. That's -- I was gonna bring that up, yes.
BAYA
12:53:33
...and it's really cold here. He does not like it. He sniffs outside if it's raining or wet, he doesn't want to go.
WEITZMAN
12:53:38
Yeah. He's very disoriented. I think -- well, first of all, I do think you should go see your vet, just get a good physical exam done, make sure there's nothing wrong with this little fellow, and then do things that are gonna make his transition back here better, more interaction. Maybe if he's home alone all day and he wasn't when you were in Kenya, maybe get a dog walker so you can get him out. I know it's cold, but you'll have to get him a jacket too.
WEITZMAN
12:54:00
But I think, you know, all those things that'll make it a little more comfortable for him to be here, and that's just lots of enrichment, things that'll keep him from being bored and all alone at home. I love the dog walker idea, but just those things.
BAYA
12:54:12
Yeah. I mean, they're super expensive, that's the problem.
WEITZMAN
12:54:15
I know. I know they are.
BAYA
12:54:15
More than a babysitter.
LITZINGER
12:54:17
Are there other people in your building that maybe have dog walkers, or walk dogs?
BAYA
12:54:20
Yeah. I've sent out an email on the listserv, but...
WEITZMAN
12:54:24
Good.
BAYA
12:54:24
...I haven't found anybody that would share.
WEITZMAN
12:54:26
Right. You know what you could also do?
BAYA
12:54:27
He's home from 8:00 to 6:00.
WEITZMAN
12:54:29
Oh, that's a long day by himself.
BAYA
12:54:30
Yeah.
WEITZMAN
12:54:30
Was he used to a lot of people before?
BAYA
12:54:32
Yes, for sure. At least two people around all day with him.
WEITZMAN
12:54:35
Ah, okay. I think that's the bigger problem than anything like jetlag. And I would say yes, absolutely. Dog walkers can add up. So I'd say how about one day a week. One day a week...
BAYA
12:54:44
Even just one day would help?
WEITZMAN
12:54:45
Oh, my gosh, yeah. One day, it'll be play time. That'd be great. But I do think...
BAYA
12:54:49
But can I ask a silly question as a follow up?
WEITZMAN
12:54:52
Okay.
BAYA
12:54:52
Yes. I leave the radio on, and specifically NPR, so I think by the end of the week he'd probably answer "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" (laugh) because he's so like educated.
LITZINGER
12:55:01
He could be a contestant.
BAYA
12:55:02
Do you think the radio helps, just the fact that there is some noise? I think a lot of people do that.
WEITZMAN
12:55:07
Yes. But since you're onto that, I think you might want to do something else as well. But there is something called "Through a Dog's Ear." There are all these audio tapes and CDs. We talk about using them at the shelter, because they're actually made to stimulate dogs and to calm them and just make them more comfortable. So go online, it's "Through a Dog's Ear."
BAYA
12:55:27
And of course some people told me to use Rescue Remedy or -- yeah.
WEITZMAN
12:55:31
Not a fan of Rescue Remedy. I don't think it really does very much.
BAYA
12:55:34
What about homeopathic remedies?
WEITZMAN
12:55:36
There's Feel Away for cats, and there's a canine version too, and I think you might try that. Some people have success with it. Anything like that will not hurt at all.
BAYA
12:55:45
Okay.
WEITZMAN
12:55:45
But again, get that dog walker in one day a week.
BAYA
12:55:46
Dog walker, yeah.
LITZINGER
12:55:47
Yeah. If you can do it at least once a week, that would probably break the routine for Diego.
BAYA
12:55:52
Yeah. He's lost some of his spunk.
LITZINGER
12:55:53
You need to get his spunk back.
WEITZMAN
12:55:54
We do. We do.
BAYA
12:55:56
Is it better for the pets to be with their owners, or is it better that they have another nice owner...
WEITZMAN
12:56:00
Oh, easy answer to that. Be with the owner, absolutely. You did the right thing.
LITZINGER
12:56:04
He would miss you terribly.
WEITZMAN
12:56:05
Do not feel guilty. Let's just find different ways to enrich this guy. Get the dog walker one day a week, and get that DAP infuser. That's what it's called. Dog Appeasement Pheromone, and let us know.
LITZINGER
12:56:15
Thank you very much.
WEITZMAN
12:56:15
Thank you very much, doctor.
LITZINGER
12:56:16
You bet. Boy, she's got a lot of travel, and dog has a lot of travel too. Busy life.
WEITZMAN
12:56:19
I know. I know.
LITZINGER
12:56:21
Thank you, Dr. Gary.
WEITZMAN
12:56:22
You're welcome.
NARRATOR
12:56:31
This is Bird Note. We have many examples of music inspired by bird song, but there are also composers who have used actual bird sounds in their works. Ottorino Respighi, may have been the first composer to use recorded bird song in his 1923 work, "The Pines of Rome."
NARRATOR
12:57:16
And here's a piece from Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara. "Cantus Arcticus," also known as "Concerto for Birds and Orchestra."
NARRATOR
12:57:52
In 2007, German producer, Dominik Eulberg released this track made entirely with sampled bird sounds.
LITZINGER
12:58:19
Today's edition of "The Animal House" is almost complete. First though, we have the answer to our Critter Quiz. Earlier we asked if you knew the name of the television series that featured an entire cast of chimpanzees. The answer? "Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp." The series aired on ABC TV from 1970 to 1972. Thanks to our guests, David Mullin, Andrew Rowan, Trond Larsen, and Andrew Westoll. Also thanks to Dr. Gary Weitzman for his contribution today. Above all, thanks to you for joining us in "The Animal House." I'm Sam Litzinger.
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