Can your dog dig up a luxury item for your dinner? Truffle hunting is a popular pastime

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

A truffle hunt was our favorite day of a recent trip to Italy. Hiking beautiful countryside with dogs, then eating delicious scrambled eggs and soft, young Pecorino Romano cheese with a freshly found truffle shaved over the top: What could be better?

But you don’t have to travel to Europe to go truffle hunting. You can teach your own dog to hunt for the treasured tubers, and depending on where you live, you may well be successful.

Truffles are found in the Pacific Northwest -- which ranges from northern California into British Columbia -- and from the southern United States into Ontario. As with most scenting activities, any dog can learn, although professional truffle hunters seek certain qualities in their dogs.

At Truffle Hill in Australia -- Australia is a primary producer of truffles -- truffle hunter Adrian Mielke looks for dogs with high drive and stamina who are food-motivated and don’t mind searching in wet and cold conditions -- cool, moist air holds scent closer to the ground.

“In our experience, the best breeds are Labradors or kelpies, but many mixed ‘hybrid’ breeds have been very successful,” he says. Other dogs with good scenting skills include beagles, German shorthaired pointers, spaniels or other retrieving or hunting dogs.

At Black Truffle Lodge in Italy’s Umbria region, where we went on our hunt, Mac (more formally known as Nathan McMillan Ryde, co-owner of the lodge with his wife, Francesca Chiacchiarini) says truffle dogs are started as puppies simply by playing fetch with them to encouraging their retrieving instinct. Gradually, the ball is switched for an egg-shaped plastic container with holes, which can hold the truffle and disseminate its scent while protecting it from destruction by rambunctious puppies. Mac and truffle hunter Luca like using dogs who are a blend of springer spaniel, English setter and pointer. Later, young dogs in training go out with more experienced dogs to learn the secrets of truffle location.

What if you don’t live in an area where truffles are found? Your dog can still learn, thanks to online training courses and the availability of truffles by mail or from your local gourmet store.

And you don’t need a fancy dog such as a Lagotto Romagnolo, considered by some to be the Lamborghini of truffle dogs, thanks to their Italian heritage and traditional use in truffle hunting.

Washington state-based truffle hunter and dog trainer Kristin Rosenbach offers lessons in person or online (wagnificentk9.com). She’s had clients succeed with many different breeds and mixes, including a Vizsla, a Staffordshire bull terrier, flat-coated retrievers, an Anatolian mix and a papillon. Her own dogs are two border collies, a Shetland sheepdog and a Belgian tervuren, the first of their breeds to truffle hunt in the Pacific Northwest.

“Honestly, the only requirement is that someone has a good relationship with their dog,” she says.

As with any detection dog training, positive reinforcement coupled with scent association is key. Your dog should view hunting as a game with plenty of tasty rewards (not the truffles, though) or other desirable incentives, such as play with a favorite toy.

Rosenbach’s top tips for training dogs to find truffles are to use real truffles (not truffle oil), train outdoors and move the truffle underground as soon as possible. During training, she recommends staying away from truffle-producing locations, counterintuitive as that may seem. That allows you to control as many variables as possible so you can set up your dog for success.

Once a team in training is proficient at a mock truffle hunt -- a blind hunt in a forest that Rosenbach knows does not produce truffles -- she takes them out for a forest lesson.

Truffles are being cultivated and discovered in many new areas, so your dog could surprise you once trained.

“I suspect truffles are growing in a lot more places than we think they are, and that's just because there aren't enough of us out there looking,” Rosenbach says.

Q&A

Can my parrot

get avian flu?

Q: I keep hearing about avian flu. Do I need to worry that my parrot could get it? What about my neighbor’s chickens?

A: I went to my colleague Brian Speer, an avian specialist, for the answer to your question. The good news is that indoor companion birds like your parrot are at substantially less risk of exposure. On the other hand, backyard chickens, pet ducks or parrots or peafowl who live outdoors could be exposed to migrating waterfowl and shorebirds carrying the virus.

Common-sense vigilance is important, Speer says. In zoos and many waterfowl collections, birds are being brought indoors until it’s known that the virus isn’t in the wild bird population. And veterinarians who treat birds are being extremely cautious about the birds they allow into their clinics. For instance, if a client calls and says, “I went out to my chicken flock and 18 out of 30 are dead suddenly, and four more are sick and dying. Can I bring one in who’s still alive?” the answer is going to be no.

“We do a lot of careful screening because we do not want to put existing hospitalized patients at risk,” Speer says.

Signs of HPAI -- highly pathogenic avian influenza -- include the rapid onset of serious respiratory and neurologic problems, with the bird quickly progressing to death. The University of Minnesota Extension provides good information for backyard poultry owners: bit.ly/3xmd5K9.

Be pathogenic-aware but not pathogenic-paranoid. If your bird has been sneezing for four weeks, that’s not HPAI. Could your dog get it? Not really.

Don’t bring home sick birds, and don’t feed wild birds. You don’t want them congregating in your area as that increases the potential for exposure.

“It’s not an easy scenario right now,” Speer says. “You don’t want to go overboard, and you don’t want to be too casual about it, either.” -- Dr. Marty Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

Search dogs help

in Syria, Turkey

-- Dog and handler teams from around the world converged on Turkey and Syria earlier this month to help find survivors from two devastating earthquakes. They included six specially trained dogs from Los Angeles County; the International Urban Search and Rescue Team from Fairfax, Virginia; and rescue teams with dogs from Britain, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, India, Libya, Mexico, Poland, Switzerland and Taiwan. Other organizations are helping the animals of Syria and Turkey. They include Ernesto’s Sanctuary for Cats in Syria, a nonprofit rescue and sanctuary that houses more than 1,800 cats; International Fund for Animal Welfare, which is partnering with Ernesto’s; and Pets in Turkey, a Swiss organization that aids stray animals.

-- How smart are cockatoos? Smart enough to craft and use tools, according to a study (bit.ly/3lyRNX1) of 10 adult Goffin’s cockatoos observed using their beaks to fashion wooden tools to extract seeds from tropical fruit known as sea mango. This behavior demonstrates the ability to not only make tools but also to use them to perform high-precision tasks. The opportunistic avian foragers from Indonesia solved problems -- such as how to break into that tasty fruit -- by creating and using tools as wedges, cutters and spoons, researchers report, putting them at the same level as specialized tool users such as New Caledonian crows or the great apes.

-- Cats have four favorite places they prefer being petted. If you want to make your cat happy, rub gently beneath his chin, scratch the base of the ears, rub the cheek area behind the whiskers, and scratch the base of the tail. Why these areas? They’re where a cat’s scent glands are concentrated. When you rub those areas, you’re helping your cat to spread his scent around, which in turn makes him feel happy and content. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet care experts. Veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker is founder of the Fear Free organization, co-founder of VetScoop.com and author of many best-selling pet care books. Kim Campbell Thornton is an award-winning journalist and author who has been writing about animals since 1985. Mikkel Becker is a behavior consultant and lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/Kim.CampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.

It’s National Cat Health Month, and new treatments are coming down the pike for our feline friends

Andrews McMeel Syndication

Sometimes it seems as if dogs get all the attention when it comes to new treatments and research into their health problems, but cats are starting to get some love, too. Two weeks ago, we reported on general takeaways for pet owners from last month’s VMX meeting in Orlando, Florida, and this week we’re touching on advances in cat care and health.

One of the most exciting is the news that feline infectious peritonitis could soon have an FDA-approved treatment available from veterinarians. When we last reported on FIP (uexpress.com/pets/pet-connection/2020/03/16), medication that worked was available, but it wasn’t FDA approved, and it couldn’t be prescribed by veterinarians.

“We’re anticipating a new medication coming out this year that could be a potential cure for feline infectious peritonitis,” says Dana Varble, DVM, chief veterinary officer for the North American Veterinary Community. “Just the idea of a new medication being widely available, approved, knowing that I have something to offer those cats; the thought of being able to help them is really exciting. I'm very, very hopeful that we'll see that medication hit the market in 2023.”

If you live with a cat, you are probably aware that cats do their darnedest to hide that they’re in pain. Their predatory nature tells them that they’ll be at risk from other predators if they appear to be weak, and we don’t have a way to communicate that we and their veterinarian have only their best interests at heart.

Veterinarians have grimace scales (felinegrimacescale.com) to help them identify the expressions of cats in pain, but Varble says additional help may become available in the form of a noninvasive device that works with the nervous system to detect pain signals. It has the potential to provide more data-driven information about how to assess pain in cats, she says.

“That could really help us not only address their pain, but also assess how our pain treatments are working. I think that’s an even bigger challenge.”

A favorite saying among veterinarians who specialize in treating cats is, “Cats aren’t little dogs.” With that mantra in mind, more medications are being developed specifically for cats, rather than adapting drugs made for dogs or humans. One of them is Bexacat, approved in December by the United States Food and Drug Administration. It’s a flavored chewable prescription medication that may improve glycemic control in some cats with diabetes.

Another is Solensia, an injectable monoclonal antibody therapy administered monthly to fight osteoarthritis pain in cats.

In the past, Varble says, medicating cats for pain was usually done on a case-by-case basis, and sometimes the risks could be high.

“Now that we’re seeing new medications being developed specifically for cats, those risks go down and the effectiveness of those medications goes up,” she says. “We’re not relying on human medications or medications introduced through the human medical field and trying to find ways to use them with animals.”

Cats are living longer, too. Lifespans of 15 to 20 years aren’t uncommon. Veterinary medicine is better able to treat the health problems of cats in this geriatric stage of life, Varble says. She looks forward to cats having not only longer lives, but better lives, with better management of common conditions in senior and geriatric cats, such as kidney disease.

It’s becoming clear that cats with kidney disease may be experiencing subclinical nausea, stomach upset and gastrointestinal issues, Varble says. They might be eating enough that they’re surviving, but they’re not always taking in enough food to thrive.

“I think one of the new things we’re going to see very soon are more treatments geared toward controlling that nausea, the GI pathology, the lesions that are associated with kidney disease in cats,” Varble says. “Even though we have good foods for them, we can optimize how the body processes those foods. I think we’re going to see a lot of medications come out geared toward that as well.”

Q&A

Live peacefully

with skunks

Q: I have dogs, and we also have skunks in our neighborhood. How can we coexist with them without the dogs getting skunked?

A: Love this question. While this column is about pets, most of us and our pets will encounter wildlife, whether we live in the city, suburbs or country. Your timing is good, too; February through the end of March is skunk breeding season. From now through May and early June, when they give birth to kits, is an important time to be extra cautious about skunk encounters. Here’s what to know.

Skunks are nocturnal. Before letting dogs out in the evening or very early morning, make some noise to give skunks a heads up that it’s time to move on.

Skunks have poor eyesight. Avoid startling them. If you meet up with one, speak softly and try to keep your dog calm as well. Back off, and the skunk will probably do the same.

It’s easy to read skunk body language. If they feel threatened by you or your dog, they will arch their backs, stamp their front paws, turn their backs or shuffle backward, lift their tails and ... hopefully you and your dog are gone by then, because if not, you’re going to get a blast of skunk musk.

Landscape your yard so that only the perimeter is of interest to skunks. They like to forage and won’t be interested in a large, open lawn. Add some mulch and shrubby cover near the fence line, and they should stick to that area.

Other ways to deter skunks are to avoid leaving out pet food, store trash in tightly sealed cans and remove lumber and junk piles. Seal foundation openings so skunks don’t den beneath your house.

Skunks can carry rabies, so keep your dog’s vaccinations up to date. -- Dr. Marty Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

Border collie wins

truffle competition

-- Kicking off the Oregon Truffle Festival late last month was what was arguably the most exciting event: the Joriad North American Truffle Dog Championship. The competition began with 27 dogs, but that number was gradually reduced to five finalists: Bunny, a Lagotto Romagnolo handled by Rachel Su of Seattle; Pixel, a border collie handled by Courtney Vandyke of Seattle; Raji, a Pembroke Welsh corgi, and handler Ashley Rau of Grants Pass, Oregon; Stevie, a Lagotto Romagnolo handled by Nora Heider of Granite Falls, Washington; and Wilga, a wire-haired pointing griffon handled by Becca Book of Seattle. After finding 14 truffles during the competition, Team Pixel went home with a cash prize of $500, a plaque and the title of 2023 Joriad North American Truffle Dog Champion. No report on whether Pixel and Vandyke celebrated by shaving a bit of one of their finds onto their meal at the awards dinner.

-- Older pets frequently develop skin lumps and bumps, which require biopsies to identify. One potential new technology unveiled at VMX was a noninvasive way to detect skin cancer called a heat diffusing imaging device. It works by detecting cells that respond differently to heat, says Dana Varble, DVM, chief veterinary officer for the North American Veterinary Community, who watched a demonstration. “We know that those cells are more likely to be cancer cells. It’s a way to maybe avoid having to biopsy a lot of things.”

-- The Ukrainian search-and-rescue community is mourning the loss of Bim, a 12-year-old Labrador retriever who served with Ukraine’s fire and rescue service (DSNS). During his career, Bim saved the lives of 19 people and won awards in dog rescue world championships. He held an international search-and-rescue certificate and was known for locating victims even in extreme conditions. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet care experts. Veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker is founder of the Fear Free organization, co-founder of VetScoop.com and author of many best-selling pet care books. Kim Campbell Thornton is an award-winning journalist and author who has been writing about animals since 1985. Mikkel Becker is a behavior consultant and lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/Kim.CampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.

We know our pets love us, but do they know we love them? We think the answer is yes

Andrews McMeel Syndication

A while back, Dr. Becker asked followers on his Facebook page what they would say if they had 30 seconds to tell their pets anything -- with a guarantee that they’d understand it. Here are some of our favorites among the many heartwarming and humorous responses. The sentiments are universal.

-- “I’d tell them how much I love them and how they have filled my heart with so much love; that they give me a reason to live and be happy; how grateful I am to have them in my life; and that they have me wrapped around their paws!” (We’re guessing that they already know the latter.)

-- “I'd tell her how much I love and care about her and how she needs to come whenever I call because someday her life may depend on that.”

-- “I love you guys, but stop doing random stuff that is bad. I’ll be back from the store. You don’t have to be brats while I’m gone. Also, stop getting the neighbor dogs wound up. You’re never getting through the wooden fence.”

-- “I would tell Honey that I am so glad I went to the Humane Society and found her. She’s a lot of company and has me trained. I love her.”

-- “How much I love them. But I believe they already know that. Maybe to let me have a little more of the bed at night.”

-- “I don't have to ask my pets if they love me because I know that they do, but I would want to know if they understand anything I say when I talk to them.”

-- “I miss my dog so much. We lost him to lymphoma last month. I would tell him how much I miss him and how I wish so much that we could have had more time with him. He was the best dog.”

-- “I love you and you are part of the family. I will never abandon you. You are so cute. Don’t pee anywhere inside, even if it is a new smell. This is your home forever.”

-- “They already know everything. I would rather hear what they have to say.”

-- “Nothing. Because my cat understands what I say. She may not talk, but she certainly does understand.”

-- “I would tell them to put their paw over where it hurts when they are sick. That way, when I need to take them to the vet, they will know where to look for the problem. It can take a long time to find the source of the problem, as they can't tell you where it hurts. Then with the last few seconds, I would tell them how much I love them and to stop playing as roughly as they do at times.”

-- “I would tell her thank you for her unconditional love and devotion. That she has brought me so much joy I can’t put into words. For the comfort she gives me during the difficult times. How I love her.”

-- “That I love him, he’s a good boy and to stop stealing and hiding shoes!”

-- “I’d tell them that whenever I have to give them medicine, take them to the vet or clip their nails, it is only because I love them and want the very best for them.”

-- “I would ask my cat what is up with the shredded toilet paper.”

-- “I’d ask if he likes his food (I make it for him) and if he has any aches or pains. Then I’d tell him how important he is to me and that I love him very much.”

-- “I would tell them how much I love them and where their daddy has gone. He died last Monday, and they don't understand.”

-- “I would tell them how much I love them and how much they mean to me. They make my life worth living.”

Q&A

Birdie emergency?

When to see the vet

Q: How do I know when my bird needs to see the vet? What’s considered an emergency?

A: We hope you’re taking your bird to the vet annually for an exam so you can ensure that he stays in good health and catch any underlying problems before they become serious. Beyond that, here’s how to recognize avian emergencies, from life-threatening to not-so-urgent.

Get to the vet immediately for bites or deep cuts, bleeding that isn’t stopping, burns, poisoning, difficulty breathing, collapse, blood in droppings and straining to defecate or pass an egg.

Don’t have an avian veterinarian on call? You can still take your bird to the veterinary ER or to a general practitioner. They might not have avian expertise, but they can stabilize fractures, provide oxygen and other basic supportive care and keep your bird warm, quiet and hydrated until a specialist in birds can be consulted.

Urgent situations should be seen by a veterinarian within a few hours of discovery. They include eye injuries; appetite loss, especially if your bird looks puffed up; sudden swellings; broken bones; diarrhea; direct contact with the saliva of a dog or cat, even if the skin wasn’t broken; vocalizing less than normal; sitting on the bottom of the cage; or shivering.

If it’s the weekend or in the evening, wait to call your veterinarian for behavior problems, feather-picking, lameness unrelated to an obvious fracture, droppings with an abnormal color and excessive egg-laying.

Bear in mind that birds are the equal of cats when it comes to hiding that they’re hurt or not feeling so good. Taking a “wait-and-see” approach is never a good idea, especially when it comes to those urgent and emergency situations. By the time you notice a problem, your bird could be very sick indeed. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Kim Campbell Thornton

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

Protect pets

from antifreeze

-- It’s antifreeze season! Be sure to wipe up any spills immediately and keep containers out of reach of curious cats and dogs. Antifreeze, which is toxic to pets, has a sweet flavor, and unless you buy the kind that is treated to taste nasty, pets may lick it up. Even a small amount -- as little as a teaspoon -- can put them in the hospital or even kill them. Any time you suspect your pet has ingested antifreeze, get to the vet right away for treatment. Signs of toxicity include staggering, seizures, extreme thirst, excessive urination and vomiting.

-- Don’t expect to see the 147th Westminster Kennel Club show televised this week. The dog show extravaganza is scheduled for May 8 and 9 this year, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, New York City. In addition to two days of conformation showing, with more than 200 breeds competing, the WKC is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Masters Agility Championship, which welcomes any qualifying breed or mix; the eighth annual Masters Obedience Championship; and the Junior Showmanship competition for handlers under 18. Judging best in show is Geir Flyckt-Pedersen, who in partnership with his late wife Gerd, bred more than 100 wire fox terrier champions, had best in show winners in five countries on the same day and has also owned English cocker spaniels, greyhounds, whippets, Airedales, Norfolk terriers, Lakeland terriers, smooth fox terriers and standard and giant schnauzers.

-- The world’s oldest living cat is named Flossie, and she turned 27 years old in December. She received the title last November, just before her birthday. What a great present! Flossie lives with Vicki Green, who adopted her last August after her previous owner was no longer able to care for her. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet care experts. Veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker is founder of the Fear Free organization, co-founder of VetScoop.com and author of many best-selling pet care books. Kim Campbell Thornton is an award-winning journalist and author who has been writing about animals since 1985. Mikkel Becker is a behavior consultant and lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/Kim.CampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.