pet connection

Ah, the holidays. Chestnuts roasting, families gathering, fireplaces glowing… and then there’s Gina Spadafori’s life:

Some people seem to have bad luck over the holidays, and I have traditionally been one of them. I’ve filled the house with smoke from a poorly laid fire in the fireplace just before guests arrived for dinner, and I’ve tripped over a sleeping dog on Christmas morning and ended up in the emergency room (the dog was fine; I went home with a cast).

But that’s nothing compared to the disasters that seem to dog the pets in our family over the years. I’ve spent good parts of many holidays in after-hours veterinary clinics, and a few times those trips were for problems that could have been prevented.

Fortunately, the better part of two decades — and most of my writing career — have passed since my last holiday pet disaster, and I’d like to think it’s because I learned a few things along the way. In the interest of helping your holiday season go easier, I’d like to remind you of what to look out for in the weeks to come.

So, what has Gina learned about animals and the holidays? Find out here.

Does your pet bunny have a head tilt? It’s a common condition in rabbits. From Dr. Marty Becker:

Head-tilting in rabbits is common and can be caused by a variety of diseases. A common name for head tilt is “wry neck,” although the correct medical term is “vestibular disease.”

Rabbits with vestibular disease can have a head position that ranges from a few degrees to 180 degrees off the normal position. They can fall over, circle, have difficulties standing and develop eye injuries because the downward-facing eye is in a position of vulnerability. These pets need to see a veterinarian for proper diagnosis of the causes behind the head tilt and then targeted treatment.

For most rabbits with vestibular disease, the vast majority will recover most of their normal head position and lead normal lives, as long as good nursing, veterinary care and time for recovery are provided. Some rabbits, however, will have a lifelong residual head tilt even if the inner ear disease is cured.

Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week, or download the PDF file exactly the way we send it to our client newspapers!

In this week’s Pet Connection feature, Dr. Marty Becker and Gina Spadafori are tired of getting email about “the farm.”

What farm, you ask? The one where many imagine their unmanageable dog will be welcomed, along with countless others. A farm where dogs run leash-free, with no children to bite, no cats to kill, no home or yard to destroy, and no nearby neighbors to hear the barking, barking, barking.

“We can’t handle our dog anymore,” someone will write to us desperately. “We need to find him a home on a farm.”

Of course, no such farms exist. The responsibility for correcting your dog’s behavior problems rests solely with you. His quality of life is at considerable risk — and likely his very life: Dogs with serious behavior problems whose owners give up on them are often euthanized after adoption efforts fail.

It doesn’t have to be that way. While some behavior problems aren’t fixable, most can be. To accomplish such change, though, you have to be prepared to put some time into changing the situation. Quick-fix, halfhearted efforts are doomed from the start.

Find out what does work here.

Dr. Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon say cats are getting shorted when it comes to the health care budget:

Cats receive only half of the health care protection that dogs do, according to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association. In another study by the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA), pet owners with at least one dog and one cat in their household said they were more attached to the dog than the cat by a 3-to-1 margin. A third of pet owners surveyed believe it’s more critical to take a dog than a cat for a wellness exam with their veterinarian, an alarming statistic as cats are less likely to show signs of sickness or pain than dogs.

Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week, or download the PDF file exactly the way we send it to our client newspapers!

Cats enjoy a good scratch, so help them get one. That’s the message from Dr. Marty Becker and Gina Spadafori
in this week’s Pet Connection feature:

We don’t like declawing, and we don’t recommend it as a first reaction to any behavior problems in cats.

That said, we understand how in some cases it’s a cat’s last chance to stay in a good home rather than face uncertain prospects at a shelter. And we know, too, that a well-done veterinary declawing with full pain control is no worse in the short-term than many other surgeries. But we still don’t recommend it as anything except a last-chance alternative to losing a good home. In other words: It shouldn’t be a preventive or immediately reactive approach to a behavior problem that can be dealt with in other ways.

That’s because scratching is a natural and satisfying behavior for cats. It provides a good stretch, marks territory and keeps the claws in good shape. If at all possible, we’d rather a cat be allowed to be a cat in all ways, and that includes enjoying the pleasures of scratching.

More on cat scratching and declawing here.

Dr. Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon report on the high cost of service dogs:

Care for therapy and service dogs can be pricey. Trained service costs range from $5,000 to $50,000, with some organizations donating dogs free of charge to those who need them, although the waiting list is usually long. Regardless of how the dog is acquired, the patient has the responsibility of keeping the dog fed, groomed and healthy. An average yearly food and routine veterinary bill is $1,500, according to Canine Companions for Independence — and of course any health problems beyond routine care can increase the veterinary bills considerably. The high costs associated with service animals present a real challenge to many of those who rely on them, since 70 percent of disabled people are unemployed.

Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week, or download the PDF file exactly the way we send it to our client newspapers!

In this week’s Pet Connection feature, Dr. Marty Becker and Gina Spadafori want to make one thing perfectly clear: there’s no such thing as a “partially” house-trained dog:

Why is realizing this important? Because if you have a dog who is “sometimes” reliable, you have a dog who doesn’t understand what’s required of him, probably because no one taught him properly in the first place. Punishing your pet isn’t fair, and it isn’t the answer: You have to go back to square one and teach him properly. No shortcuts here.

Before you start training, though, you must be sure that what you have is really a behavior problem and not a physical problem. This is especially true with a dog who has been reliable in the past. You won’t be able to train your pet if he’s struggling with an illness. So check with your veterinarian first for a complete checkup.

If you’ve ruled out medical problems, house-training an adult dog uses the same principles as house-training a puppy, except you have to be even more diligent because you need to do some untraining, too. And a lot of cleaning: You must thoroughly clean any soiled area with enzymatic cleaner (available through pet-supply outlets) to eliminate the smell that invites repeat business.

You’ll need to teach your dog what’s right before you can correct him for what’s wrong. To do this, spend a couple of weeks ensuring that he has nothing but successes by never giving him the opportunity to make a mistake.

Here’s how.

Dr. Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon report that pet theft may be on the rise:

Is dog-napping on the rise? The American Kennel Club has kept informal tabs on the stolen pet numbers and says pilfered pets aren’t uncommon. Last year there were media reports of at least 71 stolen dogs, with more than 100 thefts so far this year. Some states are considering legislation to strengthen penalties. Pets are stolen for many reasons, including keeping the pet as one’s own, resale or trying to get a ransom. One California woman paid $10,000 to have her dog returned after it was stolen from her parked car. Crimes that occurred just in one month over the summer included a puppy stolen from the lap of a 5-year-old in a public Idaho park, a 16-week-old boxer stolen from the owner’s yard in Oklahoma, and a Lhasa apso taken from a North Carolina backyard.

Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week, or download the PDF file exactly the way we send it to our client newspapers!

Some hard truths about how we do — or really, mostly don’t — challenge our pet cats mentally and physically. From contributing editor Christie Keith in this week’s Pet Connection feature:

It’s easy to see why cats are such popular pets. Unlike dogs, they don’t need to be walked, usually come litter-box trained by their mothers and rarely dig huge holes in the yard — or bite the letter carrier. Unfortunately, in a lot of people’s minds this translates into “Cats need absolutely no care and exist just to sit on my lap and purr while I watch TV.”

Instead of living the challenging life of a hunter, our cats have food delivered to them on a predictable schedule. We rarely do anything to make up for their lack of mental stimulation, and we consider their natural behaviors, such as scratching and nocturnal play, to be behavior problems.

As a result, we’ve ended up with fur-covered, purring sofa cushions who are fat, flabby and prone to diabetes, kidney disease and boredom.

And from our Dr. Marty Becker on how veterinary specialists can help our pets:

Although not as many specialists exist in veterinary medicine as in human medicine, the number and the kinds of certified veterinary experts grow every year.

Current companion-animal specialties include such “system” areas of expertise as cardiology, dentistry, dermatology and oncology. There are also “species” specialists, such as those veterinarians certified as experts on bird health. Behavior specialists are becoming more common as well. These veterinarians help people and their pets work through such problems as house-soiling or separation anxiety with the aid of medication and behavior-modification techniques.

“System” specialties usually require additional study in a two- to five-year residency program, followed by a rigorous examination. These certifications are handled by a board such as the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, which is why certified specialists are sometimes referred to as “boarded” or “board-certified.”

For veterinarians already in practice, the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners also offers specialty certifications, including those in feline and avian practice. The certifications also require passing a difficult examination.

Many urban centers support independent specialists or specialty practices. But in less populated areas, you’re more likely to find a full complement of specialists at the closest university with a school or college of veterinary medicine.

The relationship between your pet’s regular veterinarian and a specialist is one of cooperation and trust. Your veterinarian will consult with or refer you to a specialist, knowing that when the situation he sent you there for is resolved, you will be sent back to his practice. Without this understanding, your regular veterinarian would be understandably reluctant to refer a client he will not get back.

If your veterinarian is reluctant to refer you to a specialist, remember that the final decision in your pet’s care is always yours. Keep the lines of communication open with your veterinarian if you can, but realize your pet’s care is your responsibility, and seek a second opinion or specialist on your own.

Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week, or download the PDF file exactly the way we send it to our client newspapers!