Do these two words seem to have no correlation with one another? Turns out they do and in a pretty important way.
An interesting article on thyroid disease in the #WholeDogJournal this month (December 2016 – An Integrative Approach to Hypothyroidism). What really caught my eye was the side-bar titled, ‘Do Collars damage the thyroid?’ The essence of this information isn’t that the collar, per se, causes problems with the thyroid but a collar on a dog who pulls continually and aggressively can potentially cause trauma to the thyroid gland which sits at the front of the neck. The article notes a DVM, Dr. Dobias has found a high rate of thyroid disease among large breed dogs,who are genetically predisposed for this disease and who also are strong pullers.
I moved my Bear to a harness many months ago – because he is still learning to walk without pulling, especially when he sees people and other dogs. I was having difficulty controlling him but also hated to hear him gag or choke every time I pulled him back. I use a regular collar and leash for Butterscotch but after reading this article, I am going to be moving her to a harness as well. No point in taking chances with their health when other and better options are available.
As an aside, I mentioned this tidbit to a few of my vet friends and a lightbulb went off each time.
This article confirms my sense that it is better to use something other than a collar to walk your dog, preferably a good front clip harness. #wholedogjournal is going to be reviewing harnesses in a future article and I’ll write a blog about those findings.
awomanandherdog.com 