"Dogs at Work"

Dogs and humans share a special bond.

The U.S. Postal Service celebrates the enduring partnership between dogs and people with the Dogs at Work issuance. This set of four stamps depicts four hard-working canines: a guide dog assisting a woman who is blind, a tracking dog on the trail of a scent, a therapy dog visiting an elderly woman in her home, and a search and rescue dog standing in a field, ready to tackle the next assignment.

Artist John M. Thompson created original paintings for the stamps, which were designed by art director Howard E. Paine.

Dogs today excel at a variety of jobs. Currently, some 10,000 guide dogs in the U.S. and Canada serve as an extra set of eyes for people who are blind. Therapy dogs, chosen for their friendly dispositions, bring comfort and joy to the elderly and the ill. Dogs that work with police and military personnel are trained to detect drugs, guns, and explosives. Search and rescue dogs speed up search efforts, increasing the odds of survival for disaster victims.

Probiotics and Prebiotics in Dog Food?

Are prebiotics and probiotics worthwile food additives
in dog food?

Good question!

Probiotics are microorganisms that help tip the balance of bacteria in the digestive tract toward the types of bacteria that maintain a healthy internal environment in the gut. They are popular supplements in both the human and veterinary markets, and more dog food companies are adding them to their kibble.

Prebiotics are fibers that stimulate the growth and function of the good bacteria and also rank as popular additions to food and supplements.

According to most veterinarians, the problem with adding them to food is that they are hard to quantify. There is no way to know how many are in one diet versus another, or whether the bacteria have survived processing, storage, and stomach acid. Since the amount and efficacy of probiotics in food is hard to measure, pet owners who what to give their dogs probiotics may look to giving them in supplement form.

Sounds similar to our unregulated vitamins issue. How do you know what is on the vitamin label is what is in the bottle or in the right quantities as well as good quality?

Research from Nestle Purina suggest that probiotics boost immunity in young puppies and dogs under great stress, such as working and performance dogs in harsh climates.

Apparently, no one know for sure if the probiotics in dog food are effective.